The Recommended Reading Order for Felix Gomez
To experience the full evolution of Felix Gomez’s supernatural detective career, you should read the novels in their official publication order. Because the narrative timeline matches the release dates, following this path ensures that you understand Felix’s relationships, the development of his vampire powers, and his shifting place in the supernatural underworld. Below is the complete reading path for the main series:
- The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (2006) — The debut novel introduces Felix as a newly turned vampire and former Gulf War soldier. He is hired to investigate a bizarre nymphomania outbreak at a secret nuclear weapons facility in Colorado, bringing him face-to-face with Romanian vampire hunters and military conspiracies.
- X-Rated Bloodsuckers (2007) — Felix heads to Los Angeles to solve the murder of a prominent porn star. In the process, he is dragged deep into local vampire politics, power struggles, and the glitz of the adult entertainment industry.
- The Undead Kama Sutra (2008) — This installment blends detective work with sci-fi, as Felix deals with a government conspiracy, a secret society, and an extraterrestrial mystery that expands the lore beyond traditional fantasy.
- Jailbait Zombie (2009) — Felix travels to a small town in Texas to track down a missing teenager, only to find himself in the middle of a full-blown zombie outbreak and local corruption.
- Werewolf Smackdown (2010) — When a conflict erupts between rival werewolf factions in historic Charleston, South Carolina, Felix is hired to mediate but quickly finds himself fighting for survival.
- Rescue from Planet Pleasure (2015) — Published after a five-year hiatus, this book shifts the series into wilder territory. Felix is abducted and taken to an alien pleasure planet, forcing him to adapt to cosmic threats.
- Steampunk Banditos: Sex Slaves of Shark Island (2018) — The final novel in the main sequence sees Felix dealing with anachronistic technology, steampunk pirates, and a bizarre captive operation on a mysterious island.
Publication Order vs. Chronological Order
For the Felix Gomez series, the publication order and the chronological order are identical. Mario Acevedo wrote the books sequentially, with each case building on the consequences of the last. Reading them out of order can lead to minor spoilers regarding Felix’s personal life, his romantic entanglements, and his status with the vampire authorities.
However, there is one graphic novel spin-off that readers can slot into their reading schedule: Killing the Cobra: Chinatown Trollop (published in 2010 by IDW Publishing). This graphic novel features an original story set after the events of the early novels and is best read after the first book, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, or around the time of the fifth book, Werewolf Smackdown.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into Mario Acevedo’s world, it helps to understand the unique vampire lore he has constructed. Unlike classic gothic vampires, Felix Gomez and his peers can handle sunlight with the help of high-SPF sunscreen, and they rely heavily on their hypnotic abilities to navigate human society. Felix himself is haunted by his military past—specifically, an incident in Iraq where he accidentally killed civilians before being turned into a vampire. This sense of guilt drives his morality and his desire to work as a private investigator, helping those who have nowhere else to turn.
The tone of the series is a distinct blend of hard-boiled detective noir, military action, and satirical humor. It reads less like traditional dark urban fantasy and more like a comedic, action-packed satire of supernatural tropes, often drawing comparisons to the work of Christopher Moore or Dave Barry.
Practical Reader Advice and Starting Points
The best starting point is unquestionably The Nymphos of Rocky Flats. It establishes Felix's origin story, his rules of vampirism, and the recurring characters who support him throughout the series. While the cases in each book are largely self-contained mysteries that resolve by the final page, the character growth and background lore carry over from one book to the next.
A notable change occurs between the fifth book (Werewolf Smackdown) and the sixth book (Rescue from Planet Pleasure). During this period, the series moved from its original publisher (Eos/Harper Voyager) to WordFire Press. Along with the publisher change, the series leaned much heavier into sci-fi, aliens, and comedic absurdity. If you prefer grounded detective stories, the first five books form a cohesive, urban-noir arc, while the final two books are suited for readers who enjoy campy, genre-bending adventures.