Death's Excellent Vacation

Death's Excellent Vacation (2010) — Anthology

Genre and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Mystery

Theme[]

Vacations with supernaturals elements

List of Authors[]

Editor: Charlaine Harris (UF, Mystery), Toni L.P. Kelner (UF, Mystery, shorts, Anthology Editor)

Contributors: Charlaine Harris (UF), Toni L.P. Kelner (UF), Katie MacAlister (PNR, Chic-Lit), Jeaniene Frost (UF/PNR), Lilith Saintcrow (UF), Jeff Abbott, L.A. Banks (UF), Christopher Golden (UF, Fant, Hor)

Description[]

Thirteen journeys by paranormals, some are romps, some are chilling thrillers..

Because everyone -—and everything—needs a break from the routine, Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new story collection of postcards from the edge of the paranormal world.

Supernatural Elements[]

Vampires, Werewolf, pirate, ghost, gargoyle, succubus, demon newfie, psychic-seer, Demon, superhero, creepy creatures

List of Stories[]

Story Title	Series and Order Number	Author	Supes	Lead(s)
"Two Blondes"	Sookie Stackhouse, #9.5	Charlaine Harris	telepath, vampire	Sookie, Pam
"The Boys Go Fishing"	Stand Alone	Sarah Smith	superhero
"One For The Money"	Night Huntress #4.5	Jeaniene Frost	vampires, ghost, Supe-hitmen	Cat, Bones, Don, Fabian, Cat’s mom
"Meanwhile, Far Across The Caspian Sea"	Stand Alone	Daniel Stashower		young aspiring writer
"The Innsmouth Nook"	Stand Alone	Lee Martinez		bed and breakfast owners
"Safe & Sound"	Stand Alone	Jeff Abbott		TV journalist
"Seeing Is Believing"	Stand Alone	L.A. Banks	beasts
"The Perils of Eferjim"	Aisling Grey #4.5 (PNR, Chic-Lit)	Katie MacAlister	demon newfie,	Eferjim ("Jim"),
"Thin Walls"	Stand Alone	Christopher Golden
"The Heart is Always Right"	Stand Alone	Lilith Saintcrow	gargoyle
"The Demon in the Dunes"	Stand Alone	Chris Grabenstein	ghost, demon
"Home from America"	Stand Alone	Sharan Newman		Irish man
Pirate Dave's Haunted Amusement Park	Pirate Dave #1 (short series, #2 in Apple)	Toni L. P. Kelner	Pirate	Joyce

Contents and Synopsis by Story[]

ix • Introduction (Death's Excellent Vacation) • essay by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner

p1. "Two Blondes" • by Charlaine Harris ~ Sookie Stackhouse series, #9.5

Sookie and Pam head off to the riverboat casinos to mix business with some fun. — Sookie and Pam go away for a weekend and while attending an unexpected business meeting they come across unexpected complications.

p29. "The Boys Go Fishing" • shortfiction by Sarah Smith

A crotchety old superhero's lonely exile is invaded—he longs for death, but may yet discover how to truly live.

p51. "One for the Money" • by Jeaniene Frost — Night Huntress series #4.5

Cat and Bones pull guard duty for a human heiress targeted by supernatural hit men. — Cat & Bones’ vacation is interrupted when her uncle needs them to do him a favor. As always, any story about Cat & Bones, it was filled with suspense, danger, action, some smexy time, and great characters including Cat’s mom and Fabian the ghost.

p85. "Meanwhile, Far Across the Caspian Sea" • by Daniel Stashower

An author takes his job as researcher to a new level. — About a young aspiring writer/journalist. He takes an entry-level job at a non-fiction publishing house and interacts with some pretty eccentric characters. There’s a surprise at the end.

p109. "The Innsmouth Nook" • by A. Lee Martinez

Owners of a bed and breakfast rewrite their business plan to accommodate an unexpected demographic in their clientile.

p125. "Safe and Sound" • by Jeff Abbott

An ambitious and less than scrupulous TV reporter milks the investigation into a young man's disappearance for ratings. (Goodreads) — They all travel to the tropical island where he disappeared, despite a rude awakening of the paranormal kind, she never lets up in trying to put a self promoting spin on things up until the end.

p151. "Seeing Is Believing" by L. A. Banks

After 'seeing' that the cause of several local deaths is a supernatural predator, a young woman heads off to New Orleans to gather what she needs to fight the beasts and there she gains an ally in an unusual young man

p183. "The Perils of Effrijim" • by Katie MacAlister ~ Aisling Grey #4.5

A short starring Aisling Grey's demon newfie sidekick Jim - With Aisling on vacation, Jim's off to grab some R&R as well when he gets forced into human form and banished to Abaddon

p213. "Thin Walls" • by Christopher Golden

A man is on a memorial tour honoring his dead wife, but an eye opening encounter with a seductive woman is what it takes to help him move on.

p233 "The Heart is Always Right" • by Lilith Saintcrow

A gargoyle's vacation in the sun is preempted when he discovers that the young woman he's been drawn to is the key to gaining his ultimate dreams if he's willing to pay the price.

p261. "The Demon in the Dunes" • by Chris Grabenstein

A man remembers a long ago summer vacation from his youth and a ghostly encounter. — A Man reminisces of a long ago summer when he was in his teens and on vacation for the summer with his family and friends. About a night where he & his friends snuck out to meet some girls and he saw a demon in the dunes.

p295. "Home from America" • by Sharan Newman

A man of Irish descent, has a chance to visit the old country when his family gets invited to a family reunion. — a fourth generation Irish man wanting to go to Ireland to find his roots. He ends up going with his whole family for a family reunion and is in for a big surprise!

315. "Pirate Dave's Haunted Amusement Park" • by Toni L. P. Kelner ~ Pirate Dave #1

A recently turned werewolf returns to a childhood vacation spot to ponder her future. A visit to a favorite amusement park offers her the chance to pursue the pirate of her teenage fantasies and a chance to make use of her new abilities. — She comes across a vampire who is the owner of the Pirate themed amusement park she loves and the sparks fly!

~ Sources: Goodreads — Sidhe Vicious Reviews

Cover Artist[]

Artist: Lisa Desimini

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Ace Books / SFBC
Book data:

Cover Blurb[]

New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost – plus Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, and more – send postcards from the edge of the paranormal world to fans who devoured Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns. With an all-new Sookie Stackhouse story and twelve other original tales, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner bring together a stellar collection of tour guides who offer vacations that are frightening, funny, and touching for the fanged, the furry, the demonic, and the grotesque. Learn why it really can be an endless summer – for immortals. ~ Death's Excellent Vacation—Night Owl Reviews

Trivia[]

"This book is dedicated to Alan Ball, who has given the supernatural world a huge boost by bringing it to the screen in a gloriously sexy and bloody hour of entertainment."

External Links[]

Book:

Authors' Websites:

Reviews: