History Main / VampireDetectiveSeries

[[quote-width-right:350:[[MarvelComics The Nightsalker's day job]].]]

* Although never actually seen directly, FredSaberhagen's {{Dracula}} novels indicate that [[spoiler: Sherlock Holmes has a vampiric twin brother]]. This individual isn't necessarily an example, as he may not have gone into the same line of work, but it's an intriguing idea.

** On the other hand Angua fits the trope quite well, apart from being a female werewolf instead of a male vampire.

** As, oddly enough, does Elizabeth Bear's totally unrelated short story collection ''New Amsterdam''. This is a vampire detective collection of stories, except that Don Sebastian a) does not want to become human again b) the drama relating to his sire is only his sadness that their love was not as eternal as they were (and the news that she has died by the time the stories start c) his love interests are requitted, though he knows that time will separate them sooner or later, d) no flashbacks, only mentions to episodes in his past. He is a Consulting Detective, though, and quite a good one - we see him doing much more detecting than vamping.

* There's a Korean drama titled ''Vampire Prosecutor'' which is about exactly what it sounds like and is about a VegetarianVampire with memory issues who solves crime, albeit as a prosecutor rather than the typical private investigator. He is assisted by a human detective though.

There are all kinds of job opportunities for sexy hemovores and solarphobes. Or so one would think, but Noooo.

This might be because vampires fit so easily into the FilmNoir PrivateDetective with their tendency to be out at night, tendency to wear long coats, messy backstories, inevitable love difficulties, not-so-clean morality, and in some sense of the word, a drinking problem.

* Bit of a stretch, but F. Paul Wilson's ''{{Repairman Jack}}'' is probably as close to fitting this trope as an ordinary human is likely to get. He's an investigator of sorts, in that he's hired to find out what's hassling his clients and stop it (1). He's been living under the radar of authorities for so long, re-establishing himself in a legal identity so that he can marry his girlfriend isn't an easy prospect (2 & 4). His relationship with his father stagnated for years, because he couldn't admit that he works as a hired vigilante, not an appliance repairman (3). And while he doesn't have centuries of memories to flash back to, his confrontations with the Otherness invariably contain ShoutOuts to previous books' encounters (5). Oh, and he runs into weirder shit than ''anyone'' on this list except John Taylor and Harry Dresden.

-->-- [[TheMiddleman Wendy Watson]] referring to ''ForeverKnight'', ''Series/BloodTies'', and an apocryphal third show still unidentified.

* The ''{{Nightwalker}}'' anime actually has the epithet "Vampire Detective," and is heavily influenced by both ''ForeverKnight'' and ''InterviewWithTheVampire''. It follows most of the criteria, with a few subversions: the lead is a male private detective, [[TheAtoner regrets the evil things he's done in the past]], was [[IHateYouVampireDad forcefully transformed]] by [[FullyEmbracedFiend an evil vampire]] who [[ILoveYouVampireSon had a one-sided homosexual relationship with him]], has [[KissOfTheVampire a closer-than-business relationship with his secret agent partner]] and [[LastMinuteHookup a sexual relationship with the assistant college girl]] he [[EmergencyTransformation turned into a vampire]], had flashbacks during the later half of the series that tied into current DemonicPossession cases, and [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire only feeds on willing donors]]. It's also a rare example of a vampire detective series [[HappilyEverAfter ending on a positive note]].

* ''ForeverKnight'', the first television series version.

-->-- [[TheMiddleman Wendy Watson]] referring to ''ForeverKnight'', ''BloodTies'', and an apocryphal third show still unidentified.

* Henry Fitzroy of TanyaHuff's ''[[BloodBooks Blood]]'' series (adapted to television as ''BloodTies'') is ''not'' one of these, despite getting drawn in to dealing with Toronto's supernatural weirdnesses pretty frequently; he just wants to deal with the ghosts or the evil wizards or whatever and get back to his real job... which is writing romance novels.

* Non-TV example: Hannibal King from the ''[[{{Blade}} Tomb Of Dracula]]'' comic. Also the UrExample.

A subtrope of FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires. Needless to say, when vampiric, falls firmly under OurVampiresAreDifferent.

# He will want ToBecomeHuman, or at least will be actively regretting his vampire activities in the past and be trying to act more human than before.

* The titular character from ''TheDresdenFiles'' replaces vampire with wizard and sire with teacher, but otherwise sticks to the classical trope, complete with angst over love interest and desire to act human. The emphasis is lampshaded. Thomas might be a case of a secondary character being the Vampire Detective, given ''Backup'' and ''White Knight'', but he doesn't do the private eye stuff for cash. It's just a distraction from his real job.

* The ''{{Nightwalker}}'' anime actually has the epithet "Vampire Detective," and is heavily influenced by both ''ForeverKnight'' and ''InterviewWithTheVampire''. It follows most of the criteria, with a few subversions: the lead is a male private detective, [[TheAtoner regrets the evil things he's done in the past]], was [[IHateYouVampireDad forcefully transformed]] by [[FullyEmbracedFiend an evil vampire]] who [[ILoveYouVampireSon had a one-sided homosexual relationship with him]], has [[KissOfTheVampire a closer-than-business relationship with his secret agent partner] and [[LastMinuteHookup a sexual relationship with the assistant college girl]] he [[EmergencyTransformation turned into a vampire]], had flashbacks during the later half of the series that tied into current DemonicPossession cases, and [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire only feeds on willing donors]]. It's also a rare example of a vampire detective series [[HappilyEverAfter ending on a positive note]].

* The ''{{Nightwalker}}'' anime actually has the epithet "Vampire Detective," and is heavily influenced by both ''ForeverKnight'' and ''InterviewWithTheVampire''. It follows most of the criteria, with a few subversions: the lead is a male private detective, [[TheAtoner regrets the evil things he's done in the past]], was [[IHateYouVampireDad forcefully transformed]] by [[FullyEmbracedFiend an evil vampire]] who [[ILoveYouVampireSon had a one-sided homosexual relationship with him]], has [[KissOfTheVampire a closer-than-business relationship with his secret agent partner] and [[LastMinuteHookup a sexual relationship with the assistant college girl]] he [EmergencyTransformation turned into a vampire]], had flashbacks during the later half of the series that tied into current DemonicPossession cases, and [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire only feeds on willing donors]]. It's also a rare example of a vampire detective series [[HappilyEverAfter ending on a positive note]].

* The ''{{Nightwalker}}'' anime actually has the epithet "Vampire Detective," and is heavily influenced by both ''ForeverKnight'' and ''InterviewWithTheVampire''. It follows most of the criteria, with a few subversions: the lead is a male private detective, regrets the evil things he's done in the past, was forcefully transformed by an evil vampire who had a one-sided homosexual relationship with him, has a closer-than-business relationship with his secret agent partner and a sexual relationship with the assistant college girl he turned into a vampire, had flashbacks during the later half of the series that tied into current demonic possession cases, and only feeds on willing donors. It's also a rare example of a vampire detective series ending on a positive note.

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* The ''{{Nightwalker}}'' anime actually has the epithet "Vampire Detective," and is heavily influenced by both ''ForeverKnight'' and ''InterviewWithTheVampire''. It follows most of the criteria, with a few subversions: the lead is a male private detective, regrets the evil things he's done in the past, was forcefully transformed by an evil vampire who had a one-sided homosexual relationship with him, has a closer-than-business relationship with his secret agent partner and a sexual relationship with the assistant college girl he turned into a vampire, had flashbacks during the later half of the series that tied into current demonic possession cases, and only feeds on willing donors. It's also a rare example of a vampire detective series ending on a positive note.
* ''[[BloodPlus Blood+ ]]'' (Japanese Anime), though subverted slightly with female vampires.
* The manga ''BloodAlone'' doesn't have the private investigator as a vampire; instead he adopted one. But still all the elements are there.
* A female variant in ''{{Hellsing}}'' comes in the form of Seras Victoria, a FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire who is [[ReluctantMonster reluctant]] about feeding. She even gets some detective work in a few of the episodes of the first series.

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* Heavily averted in the {{Discworld}} City Watch novels, which waited for seven books to add a vampire to the force at all, long after it had recruited dwarfs, trolls, gargoyles, werewolves, zombies, golems and gnomes. When Lance-Constable Sally von Humpeding finally does sign on, she subverts every aspect of this trope except being a [[VegetarianVampire Black Ribboner]], [[spoiler: and isn't even really there as a detective, but a spy for political authorities in Uberwald]].

So, you want to make a TV series starring a good guy vampire, or other immortal being?