Dead Man’s Trigger: A Max Maguire Vampire Novel
Kat Huddleston
Publication date: October 5th 2026
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Previously published as Jade’s Blood by Kat Huddleston
Former Special Forces Sniper. High School History Teacher. Vampire. Who Knew Immortality Could Be So Short?
When high school history teacher Max Maguire begins to suspect one of his brightest students is in trouble, he ends up walking down the wrong alley. Suddenly, he’s staring down the fangs of a beautiful, powerful, and utterly merciless vampire named Jade.
As Max’s life takes a dark turn, he’s forced to learn how to survive in Jade’s twisted world. But if Jade thinks her hostage is going to play nice, she really should have read his resume. This former Special Forces sniper might just have to dust off some very lethal muscle memory.
While Max plots exactly how to kill the most dangerous predator on the planet, he discovers there’s another group of vampires that have their own plans for Jade. Before he knows it, Max is caught in the crosshairs of a vampire war that neither side can afford to lose.
And there’s one thing neither side knows… Max has a secret of his own.
If you like your urban fantasy with real teeth — think Joe Ledger with fangs, Monster Hunter International gone dark, and The Dresden Files with the door left open. Dead Man’s Trigger delivers action, dark humor, and a real hero worth rooting for.
A NOTE TO READERS: The novel contains mature content intended for readers 18 and older. This is a gritty, fast-paced genre hybrid combining vampires with dark urban fantasy, tactical military thriller action, and sarcastic humor, featuring a wisecracking protagonist at its center. There is explicit sexual material, graphic violence, adult themes, and visceral horror elements. In other words, my vampires don’t sparkle.
About the author:
Kat Huddleston has never met a perfectly ordinary day she couldn’t improve with a vampire, a monster, or an alien invasion.
The result is Dead Man’s Trigger, the first book in her Max Maguire Vampire series, about a former Special Forces sniper turned high school history teacher turned vampire. He has military training, a talent for sarcasm, and a complicated relationship with being dead. Or is it undead?
Kat likes her supernatural creatures intelligent, her heroes complex, and her humor dark. Her vampires don’t sparkle.
A Chicago-based writer, teacher, and award-winning artist, Kat spent a couple of decades writing about sci-fi TV and movies for the Syfy Channel’s website and Sci Fi Magazine. She’s also written short stories and screenplays, taught fused glass, and created artwork that can be found in several galleries. Occasionally, she pretends she can concentrate on one thing at a time.
When she’s not writing, painting, or melting glass in the name of art, Kat lives with her two cats, Jax and Nicky. They provide moral support, quality control, and unsolicited keyboard supervision. So far, neither has offered to help with marketing.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter
GIVEAWAY
Dead Man’s Trigger Blitz
—
