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Sam Quinn #2

The Dead Don't Drink at Lafitte's

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I’m Sam Quinn, the werewolf book nerd owner of the Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar. Things have been busy lately. While the near-constant attempts on my life have ceased, I now have a vampire gentleman caller. I’ve been living with Clive and the rest of his vampires for a few weeks while the Slaughtered Lamb is being rebuilt. It’s going about as well as you’d expect.

My mother was a wicche and long dormant abilities are starting to make themselves known. If I’d had a choice, necromancy wouldn’t have been my top pick, but it’s starting to come in handy. A ghost warns me someone is coming to kill Clive. When I rush back to the nocturne, I find vamps from New Orleans readying an attack. One of the benefits of vampires looking down on werewolves is no one expects much of me. They don’t expect it right up until I take their heads.

Now, Clive and I are setting out for New Orleans to take the fight back to the source. Vampires are masters of the long game. Revenge plots are often decades, if not centuries, in the making. We came expecting one enemy, but quickly learn we have darker forces scheming against us. Good thing I’m the secret weapon they never see coming

1 pages, Audio CD

First published April 2, 2021

264 people are currently reading
486 people want to read

About the author

Seana Kelly

19 books459 followers
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, and one fish. When she's not dodging her family, hiding in the garage and trying to write, she's working as a high school teacher-librarian. She's an avid reader and re-reader who misses her favorite characters when it's been too long between visits.

She's represented by the delightful and effervescent Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,198 reviews2,338 followers
April 18, 2022
The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s
(Sam Quinn #2)
by Seana Kelly
Our gal Sam, is part witch and part werewolf. She is still being hunted but this time by some creepy old vamp that wants to get back at her boyfriend who is a vampire.
Her witch side, she has discovered is not potions but she is a necromancer. She can talk to ghosts and hear vampires thoughts. It sure comes in handy with the upcoming battles.
Exciting and entertaining!
Great narration!
Profile Image for Laura (Kyahgirl).
2,345 reviews150 followers
March 26, 2025
3/5; 3 stars
I liked this book more than book 1. It was an action packed UF adventure set in New Orleans.
The book feels a bit like a mash up of the Jane Yellowrock world and the Alice Worth series, with a twist of the World of the Lupi. Good escapism.
Profile Image for charlene ✿.
573 reviews134 followers
December 11, 2023
4.5 stars  

★★★★★



**I was provided an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review**

I also posted my review on my blog ✿

☞ Trigger warnings: *contains spoilers*

5 stars  

★★★★★


First Read: 20th March 2021
Second Read: 28th November 2023

The Sam Quinn series reviews: 
#1    The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar: ★★★★★
#2    The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s: ★★★★★
#3    The Wicche Glass Tavern: ★★★★★
#4    The Hob and Hound Pub: ★★★★☆
#5    Biergarten of the Damned: ★★★★☆
#6    The Viper’s Nest Roadhouse & Cafe: ★★★★☆
#7    The Bloody Ruin Asylum & Taproom: release date: 1st October 2024

**Note: There are some tough scenes about plantations and ghosts who were slaves so be warned.



This is the sequel to The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar. I had already pre-ordered this book before receiving this ARC so I was excited to pick it up early. 

Sam is still recovering from multiple life attempts and is re-building her life with her new boyfriend. Her life was meant to be calmer, yet she is dragged into vampire politics and now faces new threats. With her vampire boyfriend and his posse, they travel to New Orleans to deal with this new threat, but nothing is as clear as it seems. Sam uses the expectations of those attacking her to gain the upper hand, kick ass and prove she can hold her own against the mighty and powerful supernaturals. 

"Do you think I care what vampires do to one another? They're already dead. They should lie down and spare the rest of us the grief."
description

This book was a fun, funny adventure with some twists to keep things spicy. Moving the story to New Orleans was exciting, especially as someone who has never visited the city. I was sight-seeing through Sam and experiencing her anticipation of the city with her. Coming into her latent powers makes it an interesting character development for Sam and the effect of the dynamics between her and Clive as well as Clive's people. Sam is asserting her independence within a relationship that could swallow her. I love her compassion and the kindness that she shows throughout the book. I can't wait for the next book! 

description



Would I read the rest of the series? YES!
Would I recommend this book? Definitely
Will I re-read this book> Yes I love this series


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Profile Image for Nicky.
40 reviews3 followers
May 27, 2021
The first book in this series was a breathe of fresh air in UF. The heroine wasn't all powerful, she was quite vulnerable, had lots of friends, wasn't afraid of letting people get close and the best bit - she owned a bar and bookshop built into the cliff face. That was so unbelievably cool!

This book started of really well. I enjoyed the banter between Sam and her beau, Clive. It reminded me of the interaction between Kate and Curran. It's also a laugh out loud book in places and I love a bit of humour. Also, New Orleans! Love New Orleans books, I was excited for some nasty vamp action.

However, I think that the character growth happened way too fast in this one. It's almost like we needed another book in between. Sam goes from someone who has no powers to a werewolf extraordinaire, she slashes heads off left, right and centre when she didn't even know how to fight in the previous book (and I liked that about her - sometimes I get fed up with all these kick ass heroines) She's now a necromancer (??!!) and knows everything there is to using her powers (How?) when it's been literally 4 weeks since the last book. Vampires in this book literally don't stand a chance - she just destroys them. Slash! Swipe! Rips out their minds. Jeez, even Anita Blake needed a few years to hone her craft and she is the biggest know-it-all. Sam does it in two days and takes out all vampires in New Orleans.

Also, her friends were the same, when you have a gorgon, a dragon, a demon, a Furie, a master vampire boyfriend...where is the conflict? They just go in and kill them all. The end. I think more time could have been spent building the dramatic tension and the plot was kind of obvious. We all know who dunnit but the villains seemed pathetic next to Sam's team.

It's a shame as I really enjoyed the first book, I will give the next one a try but if it's more and more power with accelerated growth then this series might not be for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for The Cats’ Mother.
2,345 reviews190 followers
September 21, 2021
The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s is the second book in the Sam Quinn series about a lone werewolf from San Francisco and her diverse group of supernatural friends. This follows closely on from the events of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar, and I would recommend reading that first - you do get some recap here, but the world-building and mythology are established in the first book and taken as read here. This is fun urban fantasy with great characters making up for a lack of originality in the premise and plot.

Sam is now living with sexy English vampire Clive, the Master of the City, while her bar and apartment are being rebuilt, but is struggling to win over his “nocturne” - as his family of vampires are known. When a delegation from New Orleans stage an unprovoked attack, and only Sam’s new abilities save the day, the team decide they must travel to Louisiana to sort out arrogant trouble-maker Lafitte once and for all.

While vampires and werewolves are staples of modern UF, the best part of these books are the range of other creatures - wicches, demons, ghosts, even a Fury, all interacting more or less amiably - I particularly liked hilarious new character Stheno - I won’t spoil her species, but it’s a doozy! Sam is a likeable heroine although I found her transition from frightened victim (in the last book) to unassailable badass a bit rapid. This had lots of well done fight scenes, and a tolerable romantic subplot - I’m not sure we needed the corny sex scene but at least there’s only one. I didn’t like the increase in swearing compared to the last book - including the dreaded c-word - completely unnecessary even if you’re trying to convey how despicable an antagonist is.

There were some minor mistakes and plot holes that were disappointing for a published book (this was not an ARC - I actually bought it!) Nothing serious. There were no great surprises in the plot but I enjoyed the adventure regardless and look forward to the next instalment, which is out soon - and I’m pleased to see that Sam does get to re-open her bar, which was my favourite part of the first book.
Profile Image for ☕️Kimberly  (Caffeinated Reviewer).
3,580 reviews783 followers
September 21, 2021
I love discovering new series and I am enjoying the Sam Quinn series. Sam is the owner of the Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar A bookstore & a bar…how could you not love her? She is a shifter, born from a witch, but she is more. We discovered some of her abilities in the first audiobook and get fresh developments in this installment. For this reason I recommend you listen to the series is order.

While her bar and bookstore are being rebuilt, she is living with Clive and his vampires. Clive is Master of the City and some vampires are not happy about having a “dog” under their roof, but Clive is their master and loves Sam.

Necromancy!! One of her skills mentioned in the synopsis is necromancy and, of course, she knows nothing about it, but a ghost warns her Clive is in danger and that opens the door to her learning more about this new skill. Others, and even some in Clive’s house, want him dead. Having Sam in his bed and as a secret weapon is handy. They thwart the attack before heading to New Orleans to respond.

The events in New Orleans kept me engaged and second guessing all the players. Secondary characters and villains have depth and draw you in. Seana Kelly gives us plenty of action as Sam navigates her new skills and steps not so lightly through vampire covens. Who is behind the attacks against Clive? Will Sam and Clive be able to deliver last death to them? It was a twisty action-packed tale where you cannot trust anyone.

Sam’s skills from picking up on emotions to physically fighting came in handy, as did some of her newer skills. I am looking forward to her honing those skills. I like Sam and enjoy her relationship with Clive. He is a sweetheart until he needs to bare his teeth. The two fit, and it leaves the drama and tension to the current case and overall story ARC concerning her family and those who want he dead.

The case in New Orleans wrapped up and Kelly left us in a good place with just enough foreshadowing to leave me craving the next audiobook.

Samantha Desz narrates and has captured the voice of Sam. I enjoy listening to her and find her pacing, accents and tone to fit the story. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Profile Image for Christine  Grissom.
22 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2021
I was provided an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly’s exciting follow up novel to The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar once again welcomes readers into Sam’s supernatural world.

Sam lives in Clive’s mansion during The Slaughtered Lamb restoration. However, a houseful of vampires—who disdain the she-wolf—doesn’t allow for happy roommates or a fully stocked refrigerator for the living.

When Clive’s position as Master of the City becomes threatened by members of his nocturne—Sam leads the fight to obliterate Clive’s enemies. Clive returns to New Orleans with Sam at his side to unearth the entity fueling the rebellion and give them final death.

Sam’s latent powers manifest throughout the story giving the reader a foreshadowing of her formidable skills. Kelly introduced new supernatural characters while paying homage to fan favorites from the first novel in the series.

I adore the world Kelly created, and I want Sam to pour me a drink in The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar. The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s shines as Kelly’s next über-compelling, wicked-fast read.
Profile Image for Emmalynn.
2,930 reviews29 followers
July 5, 2022
Loved it! Sam is learning all about her new powers and embracing her new confidence. Going from being a Lone Wolf to now living with Clive in his Nocturne, where his vampires hate her, she has to develop a backbone really fast. Her new powers also give them an edge over the enemy and power plays in vampire politics and those determined to kill Clive, and her. Off to New Orleans to deal with the threat, Sam meets Stheno, a Gargon, called in for protection. Stheno is ridiculously funny and her and Sam’s interactions are some of the LOL moments in the book. Sam also discovers more about her wolf heritage when she encounters a wolf pack in NOLA and also realizes that not all wolves are bad. Sam is at points, fierce, vulnerable, scared, confident, kind, and giving. This was a good, fast paced adventure for Sam, Clive and the gang.
Profile Image for Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*.
2,951 reviews1,190 followers
April 7, 2025
Loving this series so far! This time it's mainly spent in New Orleans. We get a return of some favorites but we also get a lot of fun new ones for the book's duration.
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.3k reviews540 followers
April 24, 2021
This one started out action packed and stays that way. Once Sam and Clive got to New Orleans I thought things might not be so crazy, but it picked up. At every turn people were coming for them and Sam proved again and again that she was up to the task of taking care of herself and the bad guys. What made things worse was that Sam started to realize people who were allies might not be. She did manage to pick up some new allies, ones who taught her a bit about herself and held her in reverence. By the end of the book Sam and her crew did what needed to be done, left New Orleans in better hands for the paranormal people, but they all are happy to go home.
Profile Image for Paulette.
608 reviews12 followers
March 14, 2023
Lighthearted urban fantasy featuring Sam the wicchy werewolf necromancer proprietor of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookshop and Bar, her main squeeze Clive the Master Vampire, additional vampires, a witch, additional werewolves, a were-dragon, a Fury, Medusa's sister, and ghosts. While the plot was not very original, the creature and character populations and interactions made up for that. This series is a lot of fun: the good guys triumph and the bad guys get their just desserts. If you like Ilona Andrews books, you'll like these too.
Profile Image for Ann Lou.
570 reviews87 followers
February 22, 2023
Better than the first book in my opinion. Sam is not defenseless anymore. Plus she's growing into her necromancy powers. Added bonus is Stheno, her gorgon guard in New Orleans. She's so much fun. Not really a fan of Clive. We met 2 of his exes in this one. I get it, he lived a really loong life but can we not talk about it? (rolls eyes)
Profile Image for Elaine.
21 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2021
Loved this book! A perfect flow from the first book in the series to this one. I love how the author describes characters and places with such depth and precisian. It makes you feel like you are right there in the room with Sam, fighting the evil scum of the world. Or when Sam is eating and the author describes the food so well my mouth starts to water, wanting to bite into that lovely beignet with warm delicious sugar. I felt connected to Sam and Clive, how they always stay in touch and never stop thinking about the other one's safety or place in their lives. It is so great to have characters in a story that you feel so strongly about you can't wait until your work day is over and you can get back to reading. I loved the ending and how we got a tiny glimpse of the 3rd book. I am so looking forward to reconnecting with the bar and bookstore and Sam's continued quest to discover her true talents. Awesome series a real page turner for sure!
Profile Image for Diane Lynn.
770 reviews5 followers
April 19, 2021
I enjoyed the continuation of Sam and Clive's story, but not as much as I was hoping. I don't know if this was because the story wasn't centered around her bar/bookstore like book 1, or if I wasn't overly impressed with Clive in this book. Sam sacrificed a LOT to help the vampires, and got very little in return, and was always starving/hurt/lost. I was actually rooting for some of the werewolves when Clive was MIA, as he did not do a good job of protecting her (or even showing that he loved her frankly). I could see the proposal coming a mile away, and wasn't impressed with that either. Overall entertaining, but didn't love it.
Profile Image for TJ.
3,272 reviews271 followers
June 20, 2021
Man, am I glad I decided to continue this new series. This second installment is all kinds of fun. It has lots of action, great characters, romance and even a bit of humor. Just what one needs when looking for an evening’s escape!
Profile Image for Nicole.
229 reviews2 followers
August 15, 2025
We follow Sam, werewolf-witch and bookstore-bar owner, and her party to New Orleans after an ill fated vampire attack to figure out who has it in for English Clive.
I'm so pleased I picked up book two. We get out and explore the wider world Seana Kelly has created. We meet various new characters and link up with some old favourites as well as Sam learns a little more about herself and her place in the world. She is far less a victim in this novel and much more the protector and defender, which I'm happy to see. We also see some weakness in lover boy Clive, which is a relief, and get to dig into the layers of some of the minor characters as well.
Fast paced and action packed set against he always magical, mildly dirty background of New Orleans.
Profile Image for Peridot.
231 reviews50 followers
May 30, 2024
One thing that I found refreshing with Sam is that in a genre full of kick ass and rather prideful women, she didn't mind playing pretend when it came to entertaining a roomful of vampires that thought she was just a mutt.

It was slightly refreshing and somewhat a more realistic take. It was being smart, and manipulative and writing the narrative without the excessive need to always be the one that controls a room or kicks ass.

I mean, Sam kicked ass. That was a big part of it. But it was pure joy reading just how surprised everyone was when it was her that kicked ass. When they had just been mocking and looking down at her moments before.
Profile Image for Jess.
1,541 reviews100 followers
August 6, 2021
This is the second book in the Sam Quinn series and I really enjoyed it. It was action packed from start to finish and it was set in my favorite city of New Orleans. I loved all the plots and subplots, and the growing cast of characters is great. They are all interesting and fun to read about. Clive and Sam are cute together, I love that they both help each other equally and it’s not an unbalanced relationship. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Profile Image for Judy W.
1,243 reviews2 followers
October 14, 2021
Someone recommended this series if you like Kate Daniels so I dove in with the second book instead of the first since it was higher rated. This didn't really seem to be a problem as you could follow the characters and story fine anyway. Anyway, this is no Kate Daniels but it is a quick and immersive read. The world building was probably the best part and that's saying something as the action was non-stop. Perhaps too non-stop. It seemed our heroine had a lot of things happen TO her rather than her being the catalyst for the action. Mostly she kept waking up unconscious where someone else had to rescue her or had already done so(that was the least Kate Daniel-like thing about it). All that action kept the story hopping along just fine but the romance was a bit tentative. Sam still has to resolve things that occurred in her past and about her background which hopefully will bring a bit more badass to the table in future books.
Profile Image for CeCe.
3,612 reviews109 followers
August 25, 2022
I enjoyed book 1, but book 2 did not work for me. I found myself skimming once they arrived in New Orleans.
The characters were bland. It is as if everything was developed. The romance was bland. Too much love, no mystery.
I ended up just DNFing. I originally was excited to read the entire series, but no.
816 reviews7 followers
September 24, 2025
This one was even better than the first book in the series. There is plenty of action and the description of the various foods Sam eats is enough to make the reader quite hungry. This second story is mostly in New Orleans and lots of descriptions of places. Narration was extremely well done with both the various characters voices and the entire storyline.
228 reviews20 followers
October 3, 2021
My weakness is snarkiness and dry humor and this has so much of that. It’s scattered throughout the book and for me makes it so much fun to read. There’s lots of action and the romance moves forward. Sam meets new beings, some nice and some not so nice. Sam is determined to be by Clive’s side regardless of the danger.
Profile Image for Sheryl.
1,884 reviews38 followers
May 10, 2022
Exciting but even darker than the first in the series. Thank goodness for Stheno’s humor to occasionally lighten things up. Nicely narrated on audio.
Profile Image for ElCee.
597 reviews21 followers
May 14, 2023
3.5. I know she’s a young supe but she was starting to grate on me with your “youngness.” In the end, it worked out. Scooby gang indeed!
Profile Image for Cori Alvarez.
31 reviews
July 24, 2025
Wonderful! Just as good as book one! Onto book three 🙏🏼
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,184 reviews28 followers
May 29, 2021
The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s by Seana Kelly
Publisher: Independent Publishers Group, NYLA
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Publication Date: April 13, 2021

The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s by Seana Kelly is the second book in the Sam Quinn series. I had not read the first book, but was easily able to read this as a standalone mystery! I will definitely be reading the first book, The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar, because I enjoyed this one so much!

Oh My Goodness! I absolutely loved this book! It is fast paced with a great story and fascinating characters! I honestly could not get enough of this book! There is so much goodness! I loved seeing the dynamics of all the supernatural characters working together.

This book is filled so much! I laughed throughout the book, especially at the sarcastic chapters titles!

I can't wait to see what happens next! I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series, The Wicche Glass Tavern, which is expected to be published in October 2021! I definitely recommend checking out this series!

I'm so grateful to Seana Kelly, NYLA, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.
40 reviews
June 6, 2021
It's a great read

This book moves fast. Keeping up with Sam Quinn is no easy task for those who want to protect her. So imagine how surprised her her enemies must be.

I really like all of Ms Kelly characters. They add a lot to Sam's adventures.
Profile Image for Shana Pare.
908 reviews6 followers
May 21, 2021
One tough werewolf

Sam and companions get put through the wringer when they journey forth to New Orleans to teach the vamps there to leave San Francisco alone. Great story with lots of very tense moments. I look forward to Book Three with great anticipation.
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