Review: All the World’s an Undead Stage by Angel Martinez

Title: All the World’s an Undead Stage

Series: Offbeat Crimes: Book Six

Author: Angel Martinez

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Length: 144 Pages

Category: Paranormal, Comedy

At a Glance: I cannot begin to explain to you why I love this series, but can only affirm that I do. The writing is always fresh—for the paranormal genre, it is a much-needed kick in the proverbial backside, in terms of originality.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Old actors never die shouldn’t be literally true.

Carrington Loveless III, skim-blood vampire and senior officer of Philly’s paranormal police department, has long suspected that someone’s targeting his squad. The increasingly bizarre and dangerous entities invading their city can’t be a coincidence. So when a walking corpse spouting Oscar Wilde attacks one of his officers, Carrington’s determined to uncover the evil mind behind it all.

As a rare books librarian, Erasmus Graham thought he understood some of the stranger things in life. Sharing a life with Carrington’s shown him he didn’t know the half of it. They’ve survived attack books and deadly dust bunnies together and got through mostly unscathed.

Now his world and his vampire’s appear ready to collide again. Books are missing from the rare books’ collection—old tomes of magic containing dangerous summonings and necromancy. He’s certain whoever’s been stalking the Seventy-Seventh is composing their end game.

It’s going to take a consolidated effort from paranormal police, librarians, and some not-quite-authorized civilians to head off the impending catastrophe

Review: Sometimes a reader connects with a series and waits with great longing for the next book to be released. Sometimes a reader enjoys a series so very much that when that next installment hits their kindle, they drop everything else to settle down and begin another adventure. Sometimes when a reader knows a series may very well be ending, they savor the final novel and think to themselves, now I must reread this entire collection from the beginning again. And sometimes a series is just so marvelous, so delightful, that when that reader tries to review it, she is at a loss to come up with enough superlatives to truly encapsulate just how much she has enjoyed the journey. I am such a reader, and the Offbeat Crimes series by Angel Martinez is my addiction. And sadly, I must review the final novel in this fantastic series.

All the World’s an Undead Stage is the sixth and final chapter in the Offbeat Crimes series. These books have introduced us to such whimsical creatures as a leather jacket; a tiny creature that lives inside a paper nest which careens about the precinct and even sports a tiny tie and hat; and a plethora of others that include vampires, wolves and not-quite-human humans. Their powers are unpredictable and underdeveloped; their hearts are huge and their courage is endless. The officers in the Philadelphia Paranormal Precinct are truly unique, clever, funny and sweet, and I will honestly miss their antics.

In this latest, and possibly last, installment, the story focuses on Carrington, a vampire who can only drink skim blood and who is in love with a librarian. He is the officer in charge when the city is beset by reanimated zombie actors who spout all manner of lines from plays and novels, and attack at will. They are particularly interested in one of Carr’s officers, Jeff, who will end up playing a rather nasty role in the end of the world as the officers know it—unless they can stop the mastermind behind the zombie hordes. The entire team must come together to battle the evil that threatens their world, and Carrington will even have to risk his own love, Erasmus, in the end.

I cannot begin to explain to you why I love this series, but can only affirm that I do. The writing is always fresh—for the paranormal genre, it is a much-needed kick in the proverbial backside, in terms of originality. The characters are part neurotic, part genius, and part scatterbrained, but always incredibly humorous and so intelligently crafted. Each storyline has a unique approach and manages to be both a mystery and a romance all rolled into one. Author Angel Martinez let’s her imagination soar to new heights with every installment in this fabulous series, and we, her readers, reap the benefits. Are their flaws in this latest book? Oh yes, I am sure there are. Some will say that the mystery element was too easily discernible, and the fact that Carrington never saw it seemed rather far-fetched. Some might take offense at the tidy ending and wish for a bigger climactic end to the series overall. And, still others might feel that the way in which Erasmus and Carrington fell apart near the end, and almost gave fans a heart attack with their sudden inability to communicate their love to each other, was fixed just a bit too rapidly. Yes, there were a few bumps in the story here and there, but honestly, those were so quickly forgotten in light of how immensely entertaining this cast of crazy characters really were.

I am so hopeful that Angel Martinez will return to her precinct in the future and allow us to check in with these incredible officers once again. Until then, I will leave you with this thought: it is just these kinds of novels that lift the spirit, make us shake our heads in wonder, and allow us to forget the troubles of our world for just a little while. I am so grateful for authors who can do this, who, in this time when life is so unsettled and the news so very bleak, can make us laugh and forget about the world for a brief moment. That is what a great story can do. Thank you, Angel Martinez, for making us laugh and giving us such a unique place to escape to when we needed it most.

You can buy All the World’s an Undead Stage here:
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