The Vampire Detectives. Volume 2: Culprit was a State of Mind is a novel of over 78,000 words and the second volume in Tina Isabel Leung’s saga that fuses paranormal mystery, urban fantasy, and gothic romantic suspense. Set in the snow-dusted, shadowed town of Ribesville, this volume follows gay detectives Simon and Kaetan as they navigate vampire mafia intrigue, forbidden intimacy, and supernatural crime. With equal partnership, moral ambiguity, and a chilling atmosphere, the story deepens the saga’s dark allure.

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Detectives Simon Sanders and Kaetan Montgomery return to Ribesville, a town where vampire crime festers beneath gothic facades. Their latest case begins in horror: four students discovered dead in a car, with a fifth, Poppy Sawyer, clutching their bodies. Accused of murder, Poppy’s fragile story unravels under Simon’s scrutiny, yet poison lingers in the shadows—who administered it, and who finished the job?

Beyond the investigation, darker forces drag them into peril. Kaetan’s uncle, a ruthless vampire mafia Don, seeks to bind them to his sect, while supposed allies appear to be plotting against his empire. Meanwhile, Father Robert Black’s enigmatic church sect whispers of a lost treasure, a cryptic Macbeth verse, and a spiritual leader named Romuald, whose looming conflict with the Don threatens to ignite war...

Yet the most perilous mystery is their own love. Simon suffers from Chronic Life Energy Deficiency (CLED), a condition triggered by Kaetan’s proximity. Their intimacy is both irresistible and lethal, transforming passion into a terrifying threat. Every touch risks collapse, every kiss a loss of control. How can they fight side by side when their bond itself endangers Simon’s life?

Bound by complicity—their shared secret of a past cover-up—and tested by professional hazards, they remain equals, challenging each other’s theories and protecting one another against external darkness.

But as poison, rebellion, and spiritual sects converge, the detectives face impossible choices.

Will they uncover the truth behind the murders before the mafia claims them?

Can their love survive when intimacy itself is forbidden?

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The Vampire Detectives. Volume 2: Culprit was a State of Mind explores trauma, sacrifice, and moral ambiguity through a gothic lens. Simon’s illness becomes a metaphor for the dangers of intimacy, while the lovers’ shared burdens highlight the complexity of trust and protection. The narrative’s dark romantic suspense rejects clichés, offering equal partnership and layered taboo. Fans of paranormal thrillers and forbidden romance will find a story that is both emotionally raw and intellectually provocative, resonating with themes of love, danger, and survival.

Table of Contents:

• The Vampire Detectives 2. Part 1

• The Vampire Detectives 2. Part 2

• The Vampire Detectives 2. Part 3

• The Vampire Detectives 2. Part 4