Why I Love Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Detective Stories

There’s something addictive about stepping into a world that looks a lot like ours—until you notice the shadows move just a little too much, or the detective has more in their case file than unsolved murders. Urban fantasy and paranormal detective stories scratch an itch I didn’t even know I had: the craving for mystery, danger, and magic colliding right in the middle of everyday life.

Part of the appeal for me is the way the familiar blends with the fantastic. I like that the detective’s office might smell of stale coffee and cigarette smoke, but the client walking in could just as easily be a vampire searching for their missing fledgling. That balance—gritty realism mixed with supernatural flair—makes me feel like magic could be lurking just around the corner in my own world.

I’ve always loved mysteries, and paranormal detective stories give me that same satisfaction of following clues and trying to outsmart the protagonist, only the puzzles are stranger and the stakes far higher. A missing grimoire or a werewolf murder isn’t just intriguing—it’s a reminder that the answers might lie somewhere far beyond the ordinary.

And then there are the characters. I don’t want perfect heroes; I want the warlock PI who’s one bad spell away from disaster, or the vampire investigator trying to balance their hunger with their job. They’re flawed and complicated, but that’s exactly what makes them human to me—even when they’re not.

The atmosphere is another reason I keep coming back. Dark alleys, neon lights, the constant sense that the city itself might be alive—and maybe even hungry. I don’t just want to follow the story, I want to live in that setting for a while. The grittier and stranger it gets, the better.

In the end, I think I love these stories because they let me believe—just for a little while—that the strange is closer than I think. That the person walking past me at night might not just be another commuter, but something older, hungrier, and far more interesting. And honestly, that’s the kind of magic I want in my life.

Right now I am working on a 4-book-series about a newbie monster hunter who ends up as a sort-of-private investigator by happenstance. It’s not my first Urban Fantasy story, but it’s my first sleuth-heavy setting, and due to my circumstances right now, it’s more or less low on the spice and steaminess.

So far, I’ve got book 1 done and I’m halfway through book 2. It’s a whole new experience for me, not publishing as soon as a book is done and edited, but I have wised up and heard the whispers from the void: People don’t like to read unfinished series. My books so far were all stand-alone, but now I’ve gotta pucker up and make sure I can deliver on the promise of a series. And that means, you will have to wait just a little longer for the release!