Kids These Days — Jessica A. White

“From the Files of Mercedes Mace: Kids These Days” is the first episode of a near-futuristic nod to 1940's detectives, set in an alternate universe. You are introduced to the world of Mercedes Mace as our faux-vampire, Sam Spade-esque detective motorcycles around San Francisco trying to solve the murder of a poor wageslave, amid a series of brutal slayings by a sadistic, sword-wielding killer.
Employing little Holmesian logic, but extrapolating her resources to the high-tech 21st-century, Mercedes Mace is a swearing, brawling, lawfully-flexible PI, placing the troubles of the indentured poor ahead of her own financial gain and physical safety. Her colloquial-vampirism, parodies, and popular satire make her an entertaining character for hip readers, while her gritty, ‘right-place-wrong-time' approach to investigation will echo the noire, populist appeal of ‘old-time' radio show detectives.