Vincent Graves.
Those who know him, love him. Those who don’t know him--have no idea
what they’re missing. A man reduced to literally a soul and begrudgingly
whisked through time and space at the behest of a higher power, if
there’s anything Vince consistently carries with him, it’s the sarcasm,
the nerdy references, the brash impulsiveness--and at the bottom of it
all, the unshakable belief that he can use his constantly-repeating life
to make all the difference in the world, even if he has to break a few
supernatural rules to do it. It’s that heart that drives us back to him
and keeps us thirsty for more--and it’s moments like these ten (in no
particular ranked order) that live in our imaginations and keep us
giggling even when the peril is at its greatest!
1. Scaring The Bejeezus Out Of The Old Groundskeeper
We
first meet Vince Graves in Grave Beginnings… literally bashing his way
out of a grave. If that’s not a totally fitting introduction for a
character, I don’t know what is!
It’s
not just the fact that he knows all the statistics and “insider
information” about being buried in a coffin, though… It’s when he gets
out, and there’s this old man standing there--Vince has the gall to
greet him with the well-timed phrase, “Well whaddya know? You really can
dig your way here from China!” Whereupon the groundskeeper clutches his
chest and keels over… and so the fun and games begin!
2. "Supernatural Douche Kitty."
Hands-down
my favorite line from the first book, Grave Beginnings. And absolutely a
fitting insight into his character. See, the supernatural don’t fight
by what we mortals consider “fair.” Things like inanimate objects,
gravity, empirical senses--everything is fair game when you’re tracking a
supernatural entity! This was the moment, though, where things began to
really take a turn for the “holy altered state of reality, Batman!”
Vince is on the trail of discovering the monster who killed the person
whose body he currently inhabits (yeah… it takes some getting used to…)
when said entity decides to throw him off--by animating a bronze tiger
statue in front of a nearby Asian restaurant! Vince responds with his
customary dry wit, understating the visual of a full-size tiger made of
metal chasing him down the streets of Manhattan by referring to it as a
“kitty.” And from that moment on, I knew I was going to love this series
forever.
3. “You Just Fell Out Of A Building!”
One
of the qualities of Vince’s strange life that we see established over
and over again is the fact that his position in the afterlife means that
the body he inhabits has the ability to heal from most traumatic
injuries. (Those not beyond the scope of medicine, that is) Case in
point? Vince gets cornered in a penthouse on a hotel in Grave
Beginnings--and the building is on fire. This wouldn’t faze him much all
by itself, but in this particular incident, there happens to be someone
with him, a supremely capable but supremely mortal person. Vince pulls
some last-ditch fire-escape stunt for the person, but winds up doing a
free-fall himself. He comes to in a hospital, and his erstwhile
“partner” can’t figure out how he could have possibly survived--and
Vince is faced with the conundrum of exposing secrets that no average
mortal should know, or lose this one important connection to the mortal
world--something he values more than his supernatural counterparts.
4. The Scrooge
One
thing that readers might not know, although it becomes pretty clear as
you read: author Virdi is a massive foodie. Hence you will see at least
one food item come front and center in each of his books. In Grave Measures, it’s cereals such as Lucky Charms and Captain Crunch. In
Dangerous Ways, the main character leases the ground floor of the
building he owns to a baker. But the real piece de resistance and the
testament to culinary exploits in literature belongs to Grave Beginnings
and its introduction of the gut-bomb known as “The Scrooge.” According
to the description, this dish contains the following:
- Hamburger bun
- 2 Pancakes (one on top, one on bottom, just within the bun)
- Thick pile of Bacon
- Burger patty
- Chicken breast
- Scrambled eggs
- Fried potatoes
And
the whole mess is apparently slathered in syrup. You are a true fan if
you have entertained the desire for this to exist, if only so you can
try it JUST ONCE.
5. Interrogating a Wraith in A Towel (Vince, not the Wraith)
Not
his proudest moment, probably, but definitely memorable! When the
supernatural entity Vince is trying to identify in Grave Beginnings ends
up pegging him as an impostor first, Vince discovers he has to be on
his guard at absolutely every moment, or risk losing his host—and that
includes the Wraith that attacks him in the midst of a shower! He might
be butt-naked, but Vince isn’t unprepared when it comes to getting the
information he needs from slimy, soul-sucking supernatural sleazeballs!
(An epithet he would be proud of, I’m sure!) It’s a hilarious scene
involving iron chains, salt, an unexpected mortal witness, and
absolutely zero clothes on the part of our intrepid
monster-hunter/paranormal investigator. When Vince Graves is on a case,
he doesn’t let petty things like clothes keep him from seeing that
justice is done!
6. Church
Technically,
Church serves as Vince’s supervisor, his contractor, his conduit to the
powers-that-be in the celestial realm. And generally, Church meets
Vince in a church, any church. Described as someone very modelesque in his features and painfully geeky in his fashion choices (pocket protector and all), Church nonetheless
possesses attributes that allow him to remain enigmatic and intriguing
in spite of his plainness. He appears instantaneously, he reads minds,
he chooses Vince’s cases, so he possesses some level of omniscience--and
he bears the brunt of some of Vince’s most colorful curses. But there
is something else that Church receives from Vince: a healthy dose of
care. Church might be bland and impersonal in most of his dealings with
the mortal world, but it is obvious he cares about Vince, and by that
token, is made to care about the things Vince cares about. Church is the
one who keeps Vince living, over and over again, who equips him, or
drops hints when Vince is being too stubborn, and bears with the
sarcastic remarks, blatant rebellion, and a whole lot of abuse with the
deadpan patience of a saint. But deep down, if there was no Church,
there would be no Vince. (BONUS: >Minor spoiler< Church makes a
cameo in Dangerous Ways. You’re welcome.)
7. Graves, Interrupted
In
Grave Measures, Vince has the misfortune of reanimating the body of a
mental patient. So rather than trying to pass for a sane man among a
bunch of “normal” human beings, we see Graves in a setting where he can
basically be open about things that he would normally keep quiet--and
nobody is really fazed because they already assume he’s crazy! Watching
him interacting and observing the different patients around the asylum,
we see that his focus is pretty much unchanged: these are people who
need to be saved, and it still hurts when people start dying while he’s
still in the midst of the investigation. Having Vince in an enclosed
space, though, rather than roaming the streets of Manhattan, provides
more time for introspection, and the peril is less physical than mental,
giving us a more intimate glimpse into the man he really is, rather
than an outer show of bravado he put on quite a bit in the first book.
8. Little Ghost Whisperer
Want
to see what a man is really made of? Watch how he acts around a little
kid. While in the mental hospital in Grave Measures, Vince meets a young
girl named Lizzie--and she sees ghosts. What is more, she knows that
he’s not really who he pretends to be… because she’s already seen the
ghost of the dead man. For once, Vince finds somebody in the mortal
world who has a quirk that he doesn’t, giving him the chance to see what
it’s like when somebody interacts with the part of the spirit realm
that others (including him) can’t see. Lizzie is awesome because she
brings out the protective softie in Vince, and also has plenty of
gumption herself, meeting his sarcasm with simple innocence that
completely disarms him at every turn.
9. All The References
A
second common trait from the author lovingly included in the books is
all the nerdy references! Some are blatantly sourced... others are
subtle quirks of character that seem funny at first glance... then
laugh-out-loud hilarious when you’ve actually seen the show or film
referenced.
Here are a few of my favorite references, from both Grave Measures and Grave Beginnings.
—“What’s with the twenty-four hours? I’m not Kiefer Sutherland.”
(Complaining to Church about his time limit; Grave Beginnings)
—I ran my healed right hand through the blonde locks and sighed. “Man, still not a ginger.” (Getting his first good look at his borrowed body, Grave Beginnings)
—With
all of my paranormal experiences over the years, I wouldn’t be
surprised if the statue came to life and started yelling at me. I was
very short on time and didn’t need to be yelled at by Robin Williams.
(Visiting his "host's" place of employment, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Grave Beginnings)
—“A…
genie? Like the blue genie from Aladdin?” she said, disbelievingly.
“Yeah, except it isn’t blue, doesn’t have a friendly temperament, and is
not voiced by Robin Williams.” (Trying to explain Djinn to an unsuspecting federal agent, Grave Beginnings)
—It was like that scene from Jurassic Park. Don’t move and the T-Rex won’t spot you. (Trying not to get spotted, Grave Measures)
—I spoke in my best Luke Skywalker impersonation. “Your overconfidence is your weakness.” I smiled to myself. (Getting one-up on an opponent, Grave Measures)
—“I serve the Mother of Spiders, Vincent Graves.”
Where was Admiral Ackbar when you needed him?
(Stumbling right into a perfectly obvious trap, Grave Measures)
— “It’s a frickin’ Nazgul!”
(Naming the ominous "shadow creatures" plaguing the mental hospital, Grave Measures)
—My voice sunk to a deep bellow and I roared. “You shall not pass!”
(Defeating a "shadow monster" plaguing the mental hospital, Grave Measures)
—I answered [her glare] with an exaggerated flourish of hands. “Proceed, Bones.”
“Damnit, Jim, I’m an agent, not a doctor!”
(Preparing to perform a covert autopsy on a recently-deceased body, Grave Measures)
—“What
are you two doing here?”
I threw my hands up in the air and shouted,
“Captain Crunch!”
I panicked. Can you blame me? Maybe I should’ve
dropped my pants and shouted pudding? (Getting caught in the act of a covert autopsy, Grave Measures)
—
“Good job, Robin,” she quipped.
I glared. There is no reality, no train
of thought, no plane of existence where I am not the goddamned Batman.
(Defeating a particularly vicious supernatural nasty, and only getting partial credit from his partner, Grave Measures)
10. Out-Foxing A Kitsune
Every
paranormal investigator/monster hunter needs an informant. In Vince’s
line of work, he runs across plenty of beings who are information
brokers, like Gnosis the gnome (his contact in Grave Beginnings)—but also sometimes his dealings with the
supernatural realm cross over into territory of much greater power, such
as his acquaintance with Lyshae, a Kitsune with immense power and
connections. Gnosis is short, so Vince finds him easy to intimidate.
Lyshae? Not so much. She is extremely clever, and loves to pit her
abilities with illusions and her powerful connections in the
supernatural world against Vince’s smartass mouth and his knowledge of
the mortal world. Anytime Lyshae shows up, you know Vince is in for some
really entertaining mischief! He outfoxes (heh, pun intended!) her
several times in Grave Measures, the book that marks her first
appearance—but Lyshae isn’t one to give in easily, so you know she is
going to return many times before the series is over!
I
could go on, but my fondest hope is that these ten miniature samples
have whet your appetite for more, and you’ll be heading onto Amazon,
iBooks, or Barnes & Noble to pick up your own copies, just in time
for us to announce BOOK 3 IN THE SERIES!(Surprise!!) Grave Dealings is now a thing that exists, and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED!! Let the
shenanigans continue!
Find out more details on his website: www.rrvirdi.com or on his Facebook author page!
Find out more details on his website: www.rrvirdi.com or on his Facebook author page!
(If you're still not sure about the books, check out my reviews for Grave Beginnings, Grave Measures, and Dangerous Ways... which also include Amazon links for those three books!)
*This post is part of a Blog Tour in honor of the release of Grave Dealings. Be sure to check out these other "stops" in the tour as well! (Will update as links come available)
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