I've been reading a few vampire books and watching vampire movies recently. It always fascinates me to see the number of different interpretations that people have on the vampire myth. I thought it'd be fun to highlight a few novels that feature vampires. If you have any, feel free to add them. In the interest of space, I'm only going to highlight three (3).

A Drop of Scarlet :: Jemiah Jefferson
ISBN-13: 9780843957242 - ISBN-10: 0843957247

From the back cover: Ariane Dempsey is a dedicated scientist specializing in blood diseases. None of her colleagues suspect that she is also a vampire. Lately her research has taken a very personal turn - she is trying to find a drug that will help her lover, John, whose mind has been unstable since Ariane first made him a vampire.

But the drug she develops has unforseen effects and word spreads instantly through the vampire community. Vampires from all over the globe descend upon the city in droves. They will pay anything for the drug - or they will kill for it. Ariane is about to learn that, even to those of their own kind, nothing is more dangerous than a desperate vampre.

Myth-Ion Improbable :: Robert Asprin
ISBN-13: 9781892065551 - ISBN-10: 189206555X

From the back cover: Skeeve hardly remembered getting the treasure map. He was almost embarrassed to admit he had bought one. But Aahz discovered this map was real. Quicker than a Deveel at the Bazaar of Deva can take your possessions and make you think you got a deal, they were off to find the Golden Cow!

There were a few problems - aren't there always. Tanda joins the hunt: for a share, of course. But the map takes them far beyond the familiar dimensions an they have to visit a Shifter at the Bazaar for directions - he/she/it gets 5% cut of any treasure for each time they have to visit him/her/it. Never get directions from a Shifter that charges by the visit.

Quick note. This book features vampiric cows. Yes, cows during the day and vampires at night. The book should not be taken seriously.

Nightlife :: Jack Ellis
ISBN-13: 9780786012596 - ISBN-10: 0786012595

From the back cover: His eyes glitter like black stars. His mouth is a jagged slit. He rides in a shiny limousine with plush curtains that block out the sun...and waits for darkness to fall.

He is Richard Carnitch-a man of pitiless hate and insatiable hunger. No one like Carnitch has ever walked this earth. And no one can stop his feeding frenzy as, one by one, society's outcasts and loners disappear from the streets of the city.

Now, a band of survivors is about to fight back. Now, the prey are about to become the hunters. But to stop this hellish nightmare means confronting an evil more unspeakable than death itself-and a descent into the ultimate night...

Quick note. A very unusual take on a vampire. Despite the picture of the man with enlarged canines on the cover, this vampire drains everything from his victims leaving nothing but water.

All three of these books are currently available on my shelf. I look forward to seeing what books other people will highlight.

Cool idea!  I can highlight the two I have on my shelf:

Happy Hour at Casa Dracula :: Marta Acosta
ISBN-13: 9781416520382 - ISBN-10: 1416520384

Latina Ivy League grad Milagro de Los Santos can't find her place in the world or a man to go with it. Then one night, at a book party for her pretentious ex-boyfriend, she meets an oddly attractive man. After she is bitten while kissing him, she falls ill and is squirreled away to his family's estate to recover. Vampires don't exist in this day and age - or do they? As Milagro falls for a fabulously inappropriate man, she finds herself caught between a family that has accepted her as one of its own and a powerful, clandestine organization that refuses to let the undead live and love in peace.

Lord Of The Dead :: Tom Holland
ISBN-13: 9780671024116 - ISBN-10: 0671024116

Lord Byron as a vampire? That notion may not explain the aberrant behavior of the much-revered Romantic poet, but it definitely provides a racy foundation for Holland's engaging and sophisticated debut novel. The story begins in London in the present, as lovely young Rebecca Carville petitions her lawyer for the keys to the family crypt, where she hopes to find the sole existing copy of Byron's memoirs. Instead, she finds Byron himself, who proceeds to tell her the story of how he became a vampire during his journey to Greece. The first half of Byron's account remains within the conventions of the horror genre, as the great poet desperately fights the efforts of the powerful Greek vardoulacha, who eventually drains his blood. Once Byron begins to explore his new nature, however, Holland embarks on a remarkable literary journey, touching on how the poet's burden might have affected his relationships with the women in his life as well as his problematic dealings with Shelley. Other subplots recall the early Anne Rice novels, particularly the sections in which Byron tries to unite the vampires and help the Greeks in their revolt against the Turks. But the most compelling portions of the book probe the links between blood and family that surface when Byron discovers that he must take the life of a relative in order to maintain his youthful beauty. Both the period detail and the biographical material are exquisitely rendered, and the shocking revelation that brings the story full circle and places Rebecca Carville in extreme peril makes for a nice surprise ending. With this striking, highly original debut, Holland offers a valuable addition to the vampire legend.

I haven't read Lord of the Dead, though I think the idea of Byron as a vampire is intriguing.  I did read Happy Hour at Casa Dracula and enjoyed it.  It's a fast, fun read. 

Hope Tim doesn't mind if I bump this, I thought it was a cool thread.  :)