"From the Files of Mercedes Mace: Animals Have Hope" is the third novel of the Mercedes Mace series. Our heroine is a faux-vampire, Sam Spade-esque detective in a dystopian, alt-history San Francisco. A brutal serial killer is rampaging through her City during the most important week of the 21st-Century, as representatives from around the world convene in the United Nations' birthplace to avert war between the post-recession USA and its primary creditors. Lost amid the devious plans of anyone with a stake in the welfare of America: the story of a young girl who dared to hope...and lost everything. 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 modern readers, while her gritty, 'right-place-wrong-time' approach to investigation will echo the noire, populist appeal of 'old-time' radio show detectives.