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The Fleshmarket Vampire
There is only one rule for a vampire – never target your own kind.
The winding streets and alleys of modern-day Edinburgh hold a deadly secret. Disappearances are increasing at an alarming rate and the authorities are helpless to stop them.
Danny, a naïve nineteen-year-old, is plunged headfirst into the frightening and deadly world of the supernatural when his older sister Aurelia is attacked and abducted in front of him. Injured and left with a permanent disability, Danny must hunt for her attacker if he is to discover Aurelia’s fate.
Mercy is a six-hundred-year-old loner who is as jaded with the vampire community as she is with humans. However, when a reckless nest of vampires move to Edinburgh and start feeding from the poor and homeless, Mercy becomes increasingly desperate to stop them.
A coincidental meeting unites Danny and Mercy. She needs him to do what she cannot: kill the vampires. He needs her to help him overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles and become a feared vampire hunter. Together they set off into the unknown with just one certainty: if they fail, not only will Aurelia remain lost, Danny, Mercy, and many of the city’s most helpless will die.
The winding streets and alleys of modern-day Edinburgh hold a deadly secret. Disappearances are increasing at an alarming rate and the authorities are helpless to stop them.
Danny, a naïve nineteen-year-old, is plunged headfirst into the frightening and deadly world of the supernatural when his older sister Aurelia is attacked and abducted in front of him. Injured and left with a permanent disability, Danny must hunt for her attacker if he is to discover Aurelia’s fate.
Mercy is a six-hundred-year-old loner who is as jaded with the vampire community as she is with humans. However, when a reckless nest of vampires move to Edinburgh and start feeding from the poor and homeless, Mercy becomes increasingly desperate to stop them.
A coincidental meeting unites Danny and Mercy. She needs him to do what she cannot: kill the vampires. He needs her to help him overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles and become a feared vampire hunter. Together they set off into the unknown with just one certainty: if they fail, not only will Aurelia remain lost, Danny, Mercy, and many of the city’s most helpless will die.
- GenresFantasy
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2022
18 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
M.T. O'Neill
5 books11 followersM.T. O’Neill grew up in a small town outside Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1980s. He developed a passion for storytelling, which has followed him throughout his life. Writing to maintain his sanity, he ran a comedy blog and was a guest columnist for The Glaswegian newspaper. He selflessly gave up a career in the glamorous and prestigious world of online customer service to follow his dream of writing books.
Now living in Edinburgh, he is the husband of one wife, father of two sons, and servant of two cats. He loves football and movies, and spends far too much time playing PlayStation.
His latest work, THE FIRENZE VAMPIRE, is coming soon...
Now living in Edinburgh, he is the husband of one wife, father of two sons, and servant of two cats. He loves football and movies, and spends far too much time playing PlayStation.
His latest work, THE FIRENZE VAMPIRE, is coming soon...
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 29, 2025
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.
Absolutely loved this vampire book. Mercy reminded me a bit of Klaus Mikaelson, if his bloodlust was dialed way down. Still the psychotic anger paired with his 'fun' games, like how she will tell teenagers to sit quietly until she leaves and then poo themselves when she leaves, all because they made fun of her in a restaurant. Rather than murder everyone in the restaurant because of it, like Klaus might. Although I could see Klaus also doing something like that, depending on his mood.
Loved this book and would definitely recommend it.
Absolutely loved this vampire book. Mercy reminded me a bit of Klaus Mikaelson, if his bloodlust was dialed way down. Still the psychotic anger paired with his 'fun' games, like how she will tell teenagers to sit quietly until she leaves and then poo themselves when she leaves, all because they made fun of her in a restaurant. Rather than murder everyone in the restaurant because of it, like Klaus might. Although I could see Klaus also doing something like that, depending on his mood.
Loved this book and would definitely recommend it.
September 6, 2022
Thank you to BookSirens. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’ve read a lot of vampire literature, so I may be a bit harder to please when comes to the old undead simply because I’m (over) familiar with the tropes and well-worn paths of the genre (for example, many texts diverge between the horror/violent line versus the sensual/violent line. Are the vamps possessive or losing power or lonely or hungry or sad or horny or angry or disillusioned?) The better stories resist staying too long on a singular path and offer a reconciliation with grief—which, I think—is the dominant emotion in all vampire stories (regardless of the blood lost or blood gained). How do these used-to-be humans cope with unbearable, centuries-long loss?
Having said all that, it’s hard for me to decide what to tell you about this particular story, and that’s a problem. I liked the location (the Scottish accents written into the dialogue), and I was interested in the capitalist setting—the “fleshmarket,” as it is in the title. I mean—it is already a double entendre—incorporating the shady underworld of multiple shadow worlds. But—I didn’t quite connect with any of the characters. Anger, more than other emotions, dominated most scenes. The author relies on the use of profanity in every capacity (dialogue, asides, descriptions. . .), and I found it reduced the color and tone of everything else as a result. So, while I found the beginning engaging immediately, I didn’t feel like the story kept my attention (because I didn’t connect). There is something there though—and I wouldn’t mind reading the next book to see if I can connect to more dynamic elements.
I admire the writer’s passion; It just didn’t transfer to me through the story itself.
File Under: Ye Auld Fuckin Vampires Ar Back
I’ve read a lot of vampire literature, so I may be a bit harder to please when comes to the old undead simply because I’m (over) familiar with the tropes and well-worn paths of the genre (for example, many texts diverge between the horror/violent line versus the sensual/violent line. Are the vamps possessive or losing power or lonely or hungry or sad or horny or angry or disillusioned?) The better stories resist staying too long on a singular path and offer a reconciliation with grief—which, I think—is the dominant emotion in all vampire stories (regardless of the blood lost or blood gained). How do these used-to-be humans cope with unbearable, centuries-long loss?
Having said all that, it’s hard for me to decide what to tell you about this particular story, and that’s a problem. I liked the location (the Scottish accents written into the dialogue), and I was interested in the capitalist setting—the “fleshmarket,” as it is in the title. I mean—it is already a double entendre—incorporating the shady underworld of multiple shadow worlds. But—I didn’t quite connect with any of the characters. Anger, more than other emotions, dominated most scenes. The author relies on the use of profanity in every capacity (dialogue, asides, descriptions. . .), and I found it reduced the color and tone of everything else as a result. So, while I found the beginning engaging immediately, I didn’t feel like the story kept my attention (because I didn’t connect). There is something there though—and I wouldn’t mind reading the next book to see if I can connect to more dynamic elements.
I admire the writer’s passion; It just didn’t transfer to me through the story itself.
File Under: Ye Auld Fuckin Vampires Ar Back
November 11, 2022
Vampires have always been my favorite literary characters, but I will admit that for a while now, I have stopped reading vampire stories because so many people deviate from the original legends. The first Twilight movie was the final nail in the coffin. This week, I decided to break that years long reading drought and picked up The Fleshmarket Vampire by M.T. O'Neill. His vampires can can go out during the day, but don't worry...there's no sparkling here.
You know? The Fleshmarket Vampire makes me wonder. How many great vampire stories have I missed out on because of that? I am so glad that I did not pass on this one.
Much to my pleasure, this story keeps true to the majority of the old legends, and the author throws in some interesting twists to them that I absolutely loved. There is no doubting the amount of thought and research this author put into his background lore.
Our story takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It starts off with a human brother - sister duo out for a night on the town. When the sister is attacked and abducted by a vampire, our main character Danny, the brother, immediately jumps into action to try and protect his sister, but is hit by a taxi in the process. Our vampire main character Mercy, sees this all play out, and is impressed with Danny's impulse to charge at a vampire. Mercy vows to work with Danny to eradicate a rouge nest of vampires from the city, if he survive the accident with the taxi, that is.
That sets our stage for an action packed thrill ride of a story. Anyone looking for a supernatural romance involved with this story will be out of luck though. Mercy is a no nonsense vampire with centuries of street hardened wit, knowledge, and power, and Danny is so hell-bent on getting revenge for his sister while clinging to the small hope she may still be alive leave zero room for thoughts of anything else.
The number one rule in the vampire world is to never kill your own, and Mercy is dead set on keeping to that rule...but if she teaches Danny to do it for her, where's the harm, right? You see, Mercy had spent countless years separating herself from the vampire world; choosing to be a loner and blend in with the human world. For the most part, she leaves the vampires to their own accord, but when a new nest moves into Edinburgh with a taste for humans that seems to never be satisfied, she fears that the building amount of missing people cases will bring unwanted attention to her kind. The only way to stop human authorities from getting closer to finding out vampires really exists is to stop the nest as soon as she can. This is where her use of Danny comes into play.
The story that follows is a wonderful tale of action that had me hanging on every page. Mercy begins training Danny as best as she can with what little amount of time they have. This is when the legends of vampires really open up in the book. The author has done a wonderful job of using vampire lore but with some major tweaks to keep it from being your cliché, "yeah we already know this", type of scenario. I was pleasantly surprised at these slight changes and the way they are described.
One of the best descriptions is when Mercy explains that a vampire's true weakness is their own arrogance. They are always in hunter mode, and never in prey mode. They view humans as only food, so they can be caught off guard when one is willing and truly able to fight back. As much as this book is a true page turner, this made me set the book down and analyze what was being presented. This is the same section as the author's tweaks to vampire lore, and in my opinion it works beautifully. After a brief break to let it all sink in after the realization that it all made perfect sense, I was back at it to devour the rest of the story.
Urban fantasy and vampire fans will truly enjoy The Fleshmarket Vampire. I know I did.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
You know? The Fleshmarket Vampire makes me wonder. How many great vampire stories have I missed out on because of that? I am so glad that I did not pass on this one.
Much to my pleasure, this story keeps true to the majority of the old legends, and the author throws in some interesting twists to them that I absolutely loved. There is no doubting the amount of thought and research this author put into his background lore.
Our story takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It starts off with a human brother - sister duo out for a night on the town. When the sister is attacked and abducted by a vampire, our main character Danny, the brother, immediately jumps into action to try and protect his sister, but is hit by a taxi in the process. Our vampire main character Mercy, sees this all play out, and is impressed with Danny's impulse to charge at a vampire. Mercy vows to work with Danny to eradicate a rouge nest of vampires from the city, if he survive the accident with the taxi, that is.
That sets our stage for an action packed thrill ride of a story. Anyone looking for a supernatural romance involved with this story will be out of luck though. Mercy is a no nonsense vampire with centuries of street hardened wit, knowledge, and power, and Danny is so hell-bent on getting revenge for his sister while clinging to the small hope she may still be alive leave zero room for thoughts of anything else.
The number one rule in the vampire world is to never kill your own, and Mercy is dead set on keeping to that rule...but if she teaches Danny to do it for her, where's the harm, right? You see, Mercy had spent countless years separating herself from the vampire world; choosing to be a loner and blend in with the human world. For the most part, she leaves the vampires to their own accord, but when a new nest moves into Edinburgh with a taste for humans that seems to never be satisfied, she fears that the building amount of missing people cases will bring unwanted attention to her kind. The only way to stop human authorities from getting closer to finding out vampires really exists is to stop the nest as soon as she can. This is where her use of Danny comes into play.
The story that follows is a wonderful tale of action that had me hanging on every page. Mercy begins training Danny as best as she can with what little amount of time they have. This is when the legends of vampires really open up in the book. The author has done a wonderful job of using vampire lore but with some major tweaks to keep it from being your cliché, "yeah we already know this", type of scenario. I was pleasantly surprised at these slight changes and the way they are described.
One of the best descriptions is when Mercy explains that a vampire's true weakness is their own arrogance. They are always in hunter mode, and never in prey mode. They view humans as only food, so they can be caught off guard when one is willing and truly able to fight back. As much as this book is a true page turner, this made me set the book down and analyze what was being presented. This is the same section as the author's tweaks to vampire lore, and in my opinion it works beautifully. After a brief break to let it all sink in after the realization that it all made perfect sense, I was back at it to devour the rest of the story.
Urban fantasy and vampire fans will truly enjoy The Fleshmarket Vampire. I know I did.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 17, 2022
Book Review – The Fleshmarket Vampire by M.T. O’Neill
Welcome to another review, this one being a most pleasant story I am excited to talk about. Author M.T. O’Neill has enhanced the concept of vampires and created more on the lives, or shall I say death, of them! This book, The Fleshmarket Vampire, is a captivating story with a new twist to immortality. The fate and stakes of the story never stop building, and I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time!
The initial world building that continued to expand throughout the whole novel was great! It set the mood as what I like to relate to as a neo noir feel. The alley scenes and nighttime setting gave me the creeps at times, but in the best way possible! Edinburgh is such a good atmosphere for this horror yet in a way empathetic story.
Between Danny and Mercy, the two main characters, the entanglement of their relationship is one I could not get enough of. They are on opposite ends of the life and death spectrum if you know what I mean, which could complicate things, and does at times, but they persevere. Mercy is as her name states, has no mercy. She is a determined woman with strong characteristics. She proves the humanity in vampire stereotypes.
With the one rule of vampires in this book, Danny can be seen as the curse breaker. Mercy needs him, as a human, to kill the vampires that are causing such destruction to the city. Since vampires cannot kill their own kind, and since Danny has a fire ignited within him due to an incident with his sister, they make a perfect match!
The group of vampires that had entered the city and caused the havoc in Edinburgh are an interesting group for sure! In a way, this book was so realistic but also had the charm of a fairy tale. A nightmare fairy tale mixed with the best investigation scenes! There are so many elements to this book, you need to get your hands on it now if you have not yet!
Welcome to another review, this one being a most pleasant story I am excited to talk about. Author M.T. O’Neill has enhanced the concept of vampires and created more on the lives, or shall I say death, of them! This book, The Fleshmarket Vampire, is a captivating story with a new twist to immortality. The fate and stakes of the story never stop building, and I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time!
The initial world building that continued to expand throughout the whole novel was great! It set the mood as what I like to relate to as a neo noir feel. The alley scenes and nighttime setting gave me the creeps at times, but in the best way possible! Edinburgh is such a good atmosphere for this horror yet in a way empathetic story.
Between Danny and Mercy, the two main characters, the entanglement of their relationship is one I could not get enough of. They are on opposite ends of the life and death spectrum if you know what I mean, which could complicate things, and does at times, but they persevere. Mercy is as her name states, has no mercy. She is a determined woman with strong characteristics. She proves the humanity in vampire stereotypes.
With the one rule of vampires in this book, Danny can be seen as the curse breaker. Mercy needs him, as a human, to kill the vampires that are causing such destruction to the city. Since vampires cannot kill their own kind, and since Danny has a fire ignited within him due to an incident with his sister, they make a perfect match!
The group of vampires that had entered the city and caused the havoc in Edinburgh are an interesting group for sure! In a way, this book was so realistic but also had the charm of a fairy tale. A nightmare fairy tale mixed with the best investigation scenes! There are so many elements to this book, you need to get your hands on it now if you have not yet!
August 29, 2022
Mercy is a vampire, but unusual in that she lives on her own and tries to co-exist with the locals. That is until people start going missing in increasing numbers, and they’re mainly the homeless and vulnerable.
When Danny sees his sister Aurelia being attacked and abducted, he finds himself entering a world he never knew existed and can hardly comprehend. But he knows he has to find out what’s happened to Aurelia and that’s when Mercy decides that Danny could be the answer to her problems.
This is such a good reimagining of how vampires live, and die, that you could almost believe it was possible. I liked the setting for this book and know it quite well. It really lends itself to the darkness that is going on, being a centuries old city with its own dark side. As this unlikely pairing goes on, Mercy becomes more humane and Danny grows confident, which he hasn’t been in years. It’s a very well constructed plot, the characters are developing so well and although it is a dark topic, it’s handled really well. Loved it. And hopefully there is more to come.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
When Danny sees his sister Aurelia being attacked and abducted, he finds himself entering a world he never knew existed and can hardly comprehend. But he knows he has to find out what’s happened to Aurelia and that’s when Mercy decides that Danny could be the answer to her problems.
This is such a good reimagining of how vampires live, and die, that you could almost believe it was possible. I liked the setting for this book and know it quite well. It really lends itself to the darkness that is going on, being a centuries old city with its own dark side. As this unlikely pairing goes on, Mercy becomes more humane and Danny grows confident, which he hasn’t been in years. It’s a very well constructed plot, the characters are developing so well and although it is a dark topic, it’s handled really well. Loved it. And hopefully there is more to come.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 9, 2023
I must say, I've never read any vampire books or watched vampire movies, so this is my first experience with them. I read the author's up and coming second book (five star - excellent!) and he encouraged me to read this. Knowing nothing about vampires, the author answered all of my questions in the book, including whether a human who gets bitten dies or not. I love the setting in Edinburgh and Fleshmarket. Being inexperienced with vampires, I can say this was a great first book for me to read. This book is a page-turner that you won't be able to set down. And I'm hoping the author comes up with a sequel! I highly recommend this book.
November 13, 2022
I loved that this book was set in Edinburgh. The author clearly knows this city and brings it to life. Despite that, the paranormal world building was off.
Unfortunately, I was put off by the main characters, particularly Mercy. Her excessive anger was at odds with her kinder impulses. She never evolved into a relatable, unified or sympathetic character. I find that if I can't relate to the characters, it is difficult to sustain my interest in reading the book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Unfortunately, I was put off by the main characters, particularly Mercy. Her excessive anger was at odds with her kinder impulses. She never evolved into a relatable, unified or sympathetic character. I find that if I can't relate to the characters, it is difficult to sustain my interest in reading the book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 13, 2025
Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Coop and NetGalley for the ARC. This review is my own. I enjoyed this modern urban fantasy, and I look forward to reading more by this author. Mercy is a vampire who lives among humans and eschews other vampires. Danny is a 19 year old who hates going out and lives with his older sister. When Danny’s beloved sister is kidnapped and Danny is nearly killed by a taxi, Mercy takes an interest in his fate. An action packed modern urban fantasy, this book is perfect for spooky season!
October 24, 2025
This is book 1 of The Fleshmarket Vampire Chronicles and starts things off swiftly. The plot was intriguing and exciting and action packed and well paced. World building was excellent and expertly wielded. The characters made the story and were so very well developed. A strong heroine and a buddy relationship were just perfect. Cannot wait for more from this world. Recommend.
Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 11, 2022
An exceptional novel from M.T.
Maybe it's knowing where the book is based, maybe it's my love for a good paranormal book but I couldn't put this book down.
Mercy and Danny, the main characters, I found myself inwardly cheering on in their journey. You can feel the characters growth as their association continues.
Well done M.T. - I sincerely hope that we get to see Mercy and Danny again.
Maybe it's knowing where the book is based, maybe it's my love for a good paranormal book but I couldn't put this book down.
Mercy and Danny, the main characters, I found myself inwardly cheering on in their journey. You can feel the characters growth as their association continues.
Well done M.T. - I sincerely hope that we get to see Mercy and Danny again.
June 15, 2024
Awesome Book
I loved this book and can't wait to read the series
Love the way tigers eye was used ... Love tigers eye gems
I loved this book and can't wait to read the series
Love the way tigers eye was used ... Love tigers eye gems
October 23, 2025
The flesh market vampire is book 1 and it was incredible. Mercy and Danny's friendship was awesome . It was great seeing it build and develop. Fantastic story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews