Never Trust a Dead Man, by Vivian Vande Velde

Apropos of a conversation about vampires turning into a large number of bats, sholio recommended this book, in which a hapless young man falsely accused of a murder has to clear his name with the help of the murder victim's spirit in the body of a bat; this is even more complicated than it would normally be as they are from the same small medievaloid village and can't stand each other.

This book is absolutely hilarious. It also best read as unspoiled as possible, as a lot of the comedy has to do with the way the hapless hero's predicament keeps accruing more and more absurd and unexpected complications. Early on he returns to his village disguised as a pilgrim with the bat hanging from the rim of his hat; several plot twists later, the bat remarks, "Aren't you worried about people in the village recognizing me as the pilgrim's French killer bat?"

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A short, fast, highly enjoyable read. Get it on Amazon, complete with the amazing cover pictured below, for only $4.99.

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