If you loved how Vlad had to thread the needle between Jhereg capos and Dragaeran nobility to get at Mellar holed up in Morrolan’s Castle Black, you’ll click with Camorr. In The Lies of Locke Lamora, Locke and the Gentleman Bastards run cons under the eye of crime lord Capa Barsavi—until the Grey King’s coup forces them into a deadly chess match. The scams, shifting alliances, and "you can’t just stab here" rules echo Vlad’s maneuvering around Great Houses, only with Camorri nobles and the secretive Gray King standing where Morrolan and Aliera stood for Vlad.

Vlad’s contract on Mellar puts him on a single-minded, city-to-castle pursuit shaped by clues, favors, and muscle—classic noir with sorcery. Sweet Silver Blues hits the same vibe: private eye Garrett takes a case tied to a dead comrade’s fortune, then follows leads through gang turf and the war-ravaged Cantard with allies like Morley Dotes. If you enjoyed Vlad piecing together the politics and logistics to reach Mellar, you’ll enjoy Garrett grinding his way to a payoff while ducking thugs, spells, and double-crosses.

Vlad’s dry, knife-edged narration—wisecracking with Loiosh while decoding Great House protocol to solve the Mellar problem—has a spiritual cousin in Corwin of Amber. In Nine Princes in Amber, Corwin wakes amnesiac and narrates his way through a family of near-immortal royals whose feuds make Dragaeran politics look polite. The voice is razor-sharp, the schemes layered, and every conversation can turn into a duel—very much like Vlad’s banter-laced tightrope between Morrolan, Aliera, and the Jhereg.

If Vlad’s deadpan quips and back-and-forth with Loiosh kept you grinning even as Morganti blades loomed, try Sandman Slim. James Stark crawls out of Hell and starts carving a path through L.A.’s magical underworld with black-comic one-liners and improvised carnage. The tone is pure gallows humor layered over brutal sorcery and mobbed-up politics—like Vlad chatting through a hit while negotiating Jhereg rules, only with nephilim, demons, and trench-coat occultists standing in for Dragaerans.

Vlad is a professional—he’ll take the job, weigh the politics, and do what it takes, whether that means careful etiquette at Castle Black or a very final solution for Mellar. Eddie LaCrosse in The Sword-Edged Blonde has that same anti-hero streak: a sword-for-hire investigator with a murky past who wisecracks his way through a royal scandal, using charm, blade work, and hard choices. If you liked Vlad’s blend of street smarts, conscience-on-a-leash, and occasional brutality, Eddie will feel like an old (and slightly dangerous) friend.