Three Vampire Book Series with 40's Flair, Chick Lit and Southern Charm

Here are three book series featuring vampires in unexpected settings plus one outstanding book on it's own and a tip for future reading.

40's Flair--P.N. Elrod's Jack Fleming used to be a reporter, until the night he died. Killed by Chicago gangsters who didn't appreciate his writing style, he rose as a vampire courtesy of an ex-lover. The first 6 books were written as paperback originals but eventually made it to the ranks of hardcover by virtue of their popularity. Jack, a smart, tough, funny character, has surrounded himself with equally engaging friends, such as Escott, the PI friend he shares a house with, Shoe, a black gangster he's on the good side of and songbird lover, Bobbi. Throughout the books, Jack tests his new "powers" and usually gets his sustenance from the famed Chicago stockyards, which tells you quite a bit about his ethics. In the beginning, Jack, after solving the mystery of his own murder, assists Escott with his assignments but eventually, he's able to buy a nightclub of his own. But of course, that doesn't mean he's quits with the seedier side of Chicago life... In fact, as the books have gone on (I believe the 12th is being published spring '07), the storylines have gotten more serious, in the damage inflicted on Jack by warring mobsters and the damage Jack has inflicted in return with the conflicting emotions that engenders. I love these books for several reasons: The characters get under your skin, so humanly written are they. Jack's evolution as both a man and a vampire has been fascinating to read. And the 30's/40's era, one of my favorites, lends a particularly noir touch to these novels of the night.