A Cup Full of Midnight: A Jared McKean Mystery

When Sebastian Edward Parker (aka Razor) is found ritually butchered, no one is surprised in Terrell’s creepy second mystery featuring Nashville PI Jared McKean (after Racing the Devil). The charismatic Razor, a self-styled vampire, preyed on “vampire wannabes,” including sexually vulnerable teens like McKean’s 15-year-old nephew, Josh, who begs McKean for help in solving the crime. When McKean learns the police regard Josh as a suspect, McKean agrees to see what he can do. Also suspect are such “vampire friends” of Razor’s as Medina “Medea” Neeland and Dennis “Dark Knight” Knight as well as certain teenage boys Razor seduced and their parents. Well-integrated details about McKean’s personal life—in particular, his straight relationship with his gay, HIV-infected housemate, Jay Renfield—add depth. The havoc wreaked by Razor’s evil games leads McKean on a convoluted journey into a harrowing darkness that engulfs several families. Agent: Jill Marr, the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. (Aug.)