P.N. Elrod
The Vampire Files: Bloodlist (1990)
It's Chicago, in 1936 and reporter Jack Flemming is investigating a case he takes rather personally--his own death. (I feel like I've written or read that sentence before. Strange.)
I picked up this three book omnibus because we found three later books in this series used. Michael read one--book 7 I think--and wasn't very impressed. I figured that starting a series at book seven probably wasn't the best idea, and so found a copy of the first three books together (Three books for one! And I got it used! Deal!) I was far more impressed by the first book than Michael was starting on book seven. Unsurprisingly.
I'm fond of hard boiled mysteries (in fact I've been perusing used book stories for Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane), and I like fantasy, so I was predisposed to like this (now I feel like I have to go back and figure out who wrote the first vampire mystery. Copyright in 1990, this comes a year before Tanya Huff's Blood Price.
Bloodlist is actually pretty good. It has the hard boiled tone down pretty well, and I enjoyed the fact that the story is set in 1936. All three books in this collection are set in 1936. I'm very curious as to whether Jack Flemming moves through time or remains in the 1930s. However, I'm not 100% convinced by the setting. The details are correct, but I found myself forgetting that we were in Capone's Chicago instead of modern Chicago. Though to be honest, I didn't mind.
And as I've said previously, I'm fascinated by the way that different writers interpret the vampire mythology. Jack can enter a room uninvited, isn't bothered by crosses, and can change into a mist, but can't tolerate food or alcohol, and has trouble crossing water. I like the way that different writers give vampires different strengths and vulnerabilities.
This was an interesting story, and although I didn't necessarily believe that they were in Chicago, the dialog was fun anyway, and the mystery was interesting. And I've already started the second book.
Rating: 7/10
The Vampire Files: Lifeblood (1990)
Several weeks have passed since the events of Bloodlust, and Charles Escott offers Jack a part in his investigative services. But the next case they end up investigating end up being a search for the whereabouts of Jack's lover Maureen--the vampire who sired him. Despite the fact that Jack has decided to give up on Maureen.
As the series progresses, it seems that of the two, Escott is far more willing to use Jack's powers to their advantage than Jack is. Jack is uncomfortable using his vampiric powers to confuse people, while Charles sees it as useful for some of their investigations.
As far as secondary characters, I actually like Gordy better than Bobbi. Not that there's anything wrong with Bobbi, she just doesn't have any depth. She's pretty, she can sing, and she accepts Jack as he is. But I don't find her interesting. Of course that's pretty much par for the course in 30s mysteries, but still. And I was sorry not to see Coldfield in this book, as I found his character very interesting. However, I'm not sure how much they'd actually have seen of him, since segregation was quite strong in the 1930s.
The mystery, I think, may have been a little strong in this book than in the previous. Although Jack has to discover who killed him--and why--in the first book, the story is as much learning about who he is and what he does as about the mystery. In Lifeblood we know the main characters, and we know what Jack can do, so we got to concentrate a little bit more on the mystery. Of course the solution to this mystery also gave us more about Jack's past--as well as Maureen's.
Again, although he mentions all the right cars and books and movies and restaurants, the dialog still doesn't feel like 1936 Chicago. The feel of the story is more modern to me, despite the Great Depression trappings. But that hardly lessened my enjoyment. Since, after all, this is a story starring a vampire. So it doesn't really have to perfectly fit the time period if it doesn't want to.
A nice follow-up to the first story, and I've already started on the third (easy enough, since all three stories are in the same book).
Rating: 7/10
The Vampire Files: Bloodcircle (1990)
The third book in The Vampire Files series, Bloodcircle, seems to clear up the last bits of Jack Flemming's past. Jack and Charles Escott decide to travel to New York to see if they can discover what happened to Maureen.
I have to say that it's a good thing Jack's already dead, because he really takes a beating in these books. Last two books he got shot repeatedly--several times in the head--plus he's gotten the crap beat out of him in every book. Of course, being dead already, he doesn't have to worry about health insurance of paying hospital bills. So he's lucky there.
Although there is nothing in this story that particularly struck me or stuck out, it was still interesting--a decent mystery--and it was still fun to read.
I'm still not convinced of the setting however. It's not she's done anything wrong as far as the details--the details are all spot on--I just never feel like I'm reading story set in the 1930s. There's something about the dialog that still feels modern to me. But again, it's not something that kept me from enjoying the story, it's just something that sits in the back of my mind as I read.
I'm looking forward to the next Jack Flemming omnibus. We've already got seven, eight, and nine. Now I just have to wait for The Vampire Files II when it comes out in September.
Rating: 7/10
Art in the Blood (1991)
The Vampire Files Vol II
It probably means something that when I started the first story in The Vampire Files Volume Two I had to stop and think, "Wait a second. Which vampire was this? Who did he kill in the last book?" It possibly means that I'm reading too many vampire mysteries. But that's okay, because they're fun.
The first story in The Vampire Files Volume II is Art in the Blood. Jack Fleming (and let me tell you, every time someone uses both his names, I am thrown out of the story. Not through any fault of the author, I just have a hard time imagining the Jack Fleming I am familiar with being detective, no less a vampire.) escorts Bobbi to a party where she is to help provide musical entertainment. The party is being thrown by Leighton Brett, to celebrate the opening of his fiancee's gallery (where she shows and sells, unsurprisingly, Brett's paintings.)
While wandering around the gardens, Jack manages to rescue Evan Robley from a probably justified beating, and after meeting Evan's sister as well as the artist Alex Adrian, they end up carting Evan back home. From there, mayhem and murder ensue.
Although I like the setting of 1930s Chicago, what I enjoyed most about this story was the mystery. There's something about murder mysteries, and the way that those who write them aren't afraid to kill of characters (after all, it would hardly be a murder mystery of someone didn't get killed.) The vampire bits are interesting, but secondary to the mystery. And it is, after all, interesting to have a private investigator who isn't harmed by bullets, but can't testify in court, since trials and hearings occur during the day.
The frustrating thing about this story, however, is that it kept constantly referring to events in the previous story. I mean--I read the last book in June! And I've several other vampire books since then! Give me a bit more of a hint about events if you're going to keep referring to them!
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story, and I'm starting to find Bobbi slightly less annoying. But really, what is it about hard boiled detectives and their girlfriends? I'm having a hard time coming up with a detective whose girlfriend I actually like. But Bobbi seems to have become less of a bimbo over time, so she's becoming easier to like.
If you like supernatural stories, and you like mysteries, then you should like the Jack Fleming Vampire Files collections. However, start at book one and work your way forward.
Rating: 6/10
Fire in the Blood (1991)
The Vampire Files Vol II
I have to say that I found Fire in the Blood disappointing on multiple levels. Although the mystery wasn't bad, I know I've read at least one of the major conclusions. So it was only the details that were a surprise, rather than the mystery in it's entirety. And I was sorely disappointed in the ending. The final paragraph was nothing more than a teaser for the next book. I hate that. The major surprise was the trail of bodies--there was a pretty high body count in this story. Well, higher than I had expected anyway.
Jack Fleming and Charles Escott are hired by a millionaire Sebastian Pierce to discover what happened to the bracelet his wife left to their daughter, spoiled brat and heiress Marian Pierce. Mr Pierce suspects that one of Marian's less than savory friends has heisted the jewels, and wants Jack and Charles to recover the bracelet.
About the only thing I really liked (or at least found very interesting) in this story was the sub-thread about Doreen Grey, and what happens between Doreen and Jack. Except of course, that was yet another thread left hanging, so we don't actually learn what is really going on. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind secrets and stories that take multiple books to unfold. I just don't like it when so much of what seemed a best a mediocre books finishes with little more than a "Read the Next Book!" ending.
Here are the last two paragraphs:
I pulled into the street and stepped on the gas. In the rearview mirror, I chanced to look back, and saw a silent Cadillac with smoke-dark windows doing the same. Snake, I thought, and my hands began to tremble.
Bah.
On a more positive note, I do like the way that Jack still has limits to his powers, and has not become an invincible being. And again, I like the fact that when this private eye gets knocked out and seriously harmed, I don't have the voice in the back of my head asking, "who is going to pay all these hospital bills?" He's a vampire. He heals all on his own! I also liked the fact that she was willing to create an entire book of unlikable characters, and to have Jack and Charles walk the line between "what needs to be done" and brutish thug. I just wish I could have found the story a little more interesting.
I also cannot understand why Jack was asked to leave Top Hat Club. He got jumped--he didn't start the fight himself. Sure, it got him backstage with Bobbi, but it didn't make any sense to me that he was asked to leave.
So, I can see that this reading this book is going to be a requirement for the next book. I just hope that the next book doesn't end with a cliff hanger as well.
Rating: 5/10
Blood on the Water (1992)
The Vampire Files Vol II
Okay. Now I'm starting to get frustrated. This is the second book with an unfinished story arc. It's not quite as bad as the previous book, but it's still frustrating.
Blood on the Water picks up immediately after the end of Fire in the Blood. And by immediately, I mean moments, not days. Vaughn Kyler is out to get Jack Fleming--and by get, I mean kill. Jack's first goal is to get Bobbi to safety; his second goal is to square things with Kyler.
This story spans a 24 hour period--a period during which Jack is dead to the world for several of those hours. And at the end of the 24 hours, Jack is out of his current dilemma, but things are really no better, and nothing has truly been resolved.
And that's the crux of my problem. Next to nothing has been resolved. Jack is still in danger, and there is no resolution in sight. This series started out along the lines of a hard boiled mystery, and in the first four books they read like a mystery--a problem is presented and resolved in a single book. There is the underlying arc of Jack learning more about his condition, but that's fine, since the characters have to continue to grow through the series. But Blood on the Water refuses to resolve the story begun in Fire in the Blood, and the focus becomes more and more upon Jack and his powers and issues. Charles and Bobbi are much more in the background--in fact we barely see Bobbi at all. And the worrisome changes we see in Charles in the previous book are hardly mentioned, except in passing.
Essentially, this book frustrated the heck out of me, and I'm really hoping that the next book resolves this current story arc, and that she sticks to single book story arcs from here on out. If you have no read a book in The Vampire Files series, this is definitely not the place to start. My recommendation would be to start at the first book, and read through Art in the Blood. I'll let you know whether it's worth it to continue on after that.
Rating: 5/10
A Chill in the Blood (1998)
The best thing about A Chill in the Blood is that it finishes the story arc started in Fire in the Blood. Angela Paco and Vaughn Kyler are fighting for control of Chicago and Jack and Charles are caught between, with both gangs believing that Jack is the root of their problems.
The other thing I liked was Shoe Coldfield. I like his character quite a bit, and we learned more about him in this book. However, we learn little about Charles, Bobbi hardly appears at all, and Jack is too busy spending his time thinking about how to get out of his situation to worry about his hypnotic powers.
As far as the quality of the book, it was a fast read, and I found it hard to put down, but that was partially because I wanted to find out how everything turned out, in the hopes that we could move onto something else. I also thought that Angela Paco got off really easy, all things considered. In many ways she seems as bad as Kyler (and others) yet because she's good looking, and looking out for her dad, her actions are more justified?
But, as I said, the story arc is over. Angela Paco and Kyler are both taken care of, so we can finally go somewhere else. And I hope we do. Although it'll be awhile before I find out. I'm taking a break from Jack Fleming, and hoping that when I come back, we'll have returned to the single story arc books.
Rating: 6/10
The Dark Sleep (1999)
I don’t know how I messed it up, but somehow I thought that The Dark Sleep came after Lady Crymsyn. This would be wrong. The Dark Sleep precedes Lady Crymsyn. Luckily, both are stand alone books, so I didn’t lose anything by reading them out of order.
This was a somewhat complicated mystery with lots of twists. But what I liked best about it was that we finally learned something about Escott’s past. Shoe Coldfield has made insinuations through multiple books that Charles is haunted by his past, but when pressed, repeats that Jack should get Charles drunk and press him for the story himself.
One thing that seriously bothered me was the “flashback” of Shoe telling Jack what happened to Charles. I didn’t mind the idea of it, what I minded was that Shoe was supposed to be telling Jack what happened, but the first line of the event was Escott's reflection on the events. That disconnect completely threw me from the story, because I had to go back and make sure Charles hadn't gotten up to tell the story himself (he hadn't).
I didn't find the mystery particularly strong, but finally learning some of Escott's history made up for it. It isn't a nice history mind you, but we do finally learn it.
This is an important book in the series--not for what happens to Jack, but because we learn about Charles. However, this book is (unusually for the series) somewhat isolated from the rest of the series, so it wouldn't make a bad starting point into the series. Additionally, for anyone who wanted to skip reading Fire in the Blood, Blood on the Water, and A Chill in the Blood, the important result of those three books (How Jack gets the money to open Lady Crymsyn) is briefly covered here. (My apologies to P.N. Elrod, but I really felt those three books should have been condensed into one. Then I might not have minded it so much.)
Rating: 7/10
Lady Crymsyn (2000)
After finishing the last three books, I was reluctant to read this book, for fear it would continue what felt to me as a downward spiral. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Lady Crymsyn went back to the things that I had liked so much about the previous books--an interesting mystery, a fast pace, and a sharp story.
The story moved quickly, and although I picked up the book only to read a few chapters to see if I was going to like the story, I ended up nearly finishing the book, with one of those "just one more chapter" evenings.
Jack has taken the money he re-appropriated in Blood in the Water, and leased a nightclub he is repairing and planning on opening, called The Lady Crymsyn. Unfortunately for him, the workmen discover a body bricked up in the basement, a la Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."
As I said, I found this to be a huge improvement over the last three books. The story arc is self-contained, and the story itself is fast paced. Although Jack hasn't resolved his issues, he seems to have moved past them. And although Charles is still an enigma he seems more stable in this book, and plays a more reasonable part in Jack's life, although nothing like the part Charles plays in the first couple books. Charles is continuing to work as a private investigator, but his cases do not involve Jack, who is wrapped up in getting his nightclub ready for opening night.
If you stuck through the past three books, then you'll be well-rewarded with Lady Crymsyn. Although past events are mentioned, the current story doesn't hinge upon those events, and so this would be an acceptable place to jump into the story, if you did not have access to the previous books.
Rating: 8/10
Dark Road Rising (2009)
Jack Flemming is in trouble. He’s put his best friend and partner in the hospital, and the mobsters from New York won’t leave him alone. Even worse, one of the mobsters is actually a vampire, and in a strange twist of fate, Jack is ordered to keep tabs on him until he goes back to New York.
Dark Road Rising immediately follows events in the book Song in the Dark. Which I don’t have. (It’s out of print.) Luckily, having missed those the previous book didn’t have too great of an impact, since the past events were described at least enough to make sense of current events.
The story is quite dark. Jack is getting past an ugly place, and Whitey Kroun, the vampire from New York is a cipher with a very black history. But the Kroun thread was the darker of the two, and we actually see events from his point of view. I quite liked this part of the story, as we slowly discovered who Kroun is, and why everyone is so nervous around him.
I am glad that she put quite a bit of back story in, since we apparently missed quite a lot, and picking up the previous books to pick up the story is not going to happen until they are reissued. On the other hand, if you have no history with Jack and Escott and Bobbi, I’m not sure that you won’t be missing a good deal by starting to story here. We started this series in the middle, and weren’t too enamored with the book where we began. But when we went back and started at the beginning, things made quite a bit more sense.
So if you have read Jack Flemming stories previously, you’ll probably want to pick up this installment. If you have not read any of the series before, I’m not sure this would be the best place to start.
Rating: 7/10
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006) editor
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding is an anthology of short stories featuring supernatural creatures and weddings. All the stories are good, but some are better than others. In some of the stories the wedding is the main feature, while in other stories the wedding felt a bit tacked on to make the story fit into the anthology.
One of the stories I particularly liked was P.N. Elrod's "All Shook Up." While catering a wedding, Frankie meets an Elvis impersonator who seems too good to be true--in more ways than one. I particularly liked how Frankie reacts to "Elvis" and tries to keep hormones from getting in the way of her good sense.
Esther M. Friesner's story, "The Wedding of Wylda Serene" was also an interesting one--and I very much enjoyed the story and the crazy twists and turns it took, however, I misread an important detail at the beginning of the story, and was confused as to the gender of the storyteller. For some reason I was convinced the storyteller was a female--which lead to my consternation later on in the story.
L.A. Banks' story "Spellbound" drew me in immediately. The idea of the Hatfield-McCoy being exacerbated by magic users in each family amused me, and I very much liked the writing. Michael picked up an L.A. Banks series a year or so ago. Perhaps I should pick up the first book in that series.
The story that was my favorite was Susan Krinard's "...Or Forever Hold Your Peace." I'm very fond of stories set in a Victorian setting--even an alternative Victorian England. Sticking magic into the middle of that is just a bonus. I also liked Kit and Olivia. I searched but I didn't see any books written by Susan Krinard that have those characters. But if she writes one, I'll definitely buy it.
All the stories have a romantic plot; some have boinking, but not all. (I, of course, prefer the stories without the boinking.) There were some stories that I preferred over others, but all the stories in the collection were strong and well worth reading, while several of the stories were well-written enough to make me glad I bought the collection.
Rating: 7/10
Strange Brew (2009)
edited by P.N. Elrod
I love short story collections. They’re a way to discover new authors, visit with favorite characters, and to be honest I just enjoy short stories. Now if you like short stories, you eventually learn that a lot of collections are not worth buying, but there are certain authors that will cause me to buy an anthology on sight. This collection has several of those authors: Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, and Charlaine Harris.
As with most collections, there are some good stories, and some stories I didn’t like quite as well. For some reason, the stories I like the best seem to end up in the front of the book–which is unusual, because with Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword & Sorceress anthologies, that tended to end on very strong stories. This collection, not so much, which is always a little disappointing.
Patricia Brigg’s story “Seeing Eye” was one of my favorites. It’s set in the same world as her Mercy THompson series, but other than a mention of the Marrock, none of the characters from that series appear. Which is a good thing, since as I noticed with some of the other stories, if you’re not familiar with the characters in the series, short stories can fail miserably at times. This one does not. Moira is a witch–a good witch–who has made sacrifices for her power. She is very unhappy when her doorbell rings in the middle of the night, with a werewolf demanding she help him recover her brother. This story does feel like it may want to be larger, with these characters continuing.
Charlaine Harris‘ story “Bacon” was somewhat vicious for her (though not so much for other authors in the horror genre). It was actually rather amusing–in a slightly different way than her normal stories. In fact, I kept forgetting that I was reading a Charlaine Harris story–but in a good way. It also wasn’t about Sookie, which was a nice change of pace.
P.N. Elrod’s story, “Hectate’s Golden Eye” stars her vampire detective Jack Flemming. It doesn’t have quite as much atmosphere as her books, but the mystery is good–and does contains elements of magic that are somewhat unusual to her Jack Flemming stories.
Of the authors with which I was unfamiliar, I especially liked Faith Hunter’s story “Signatures of the Dead.” It had a very feel of horror, with a good deal of death and pain wrought by the vampires in this story, but the characters were interesting and intriguing. Apparently the author is writing a book about one of the secondary characters from this story, which is a very good way to do things I think.
The other story I especially liked was Jim Butcher’s “Strange Brew.” It’s a short story with Harry and Murphy, and it went in some interesting directions.
What I thought was interesting was several of the stories reached back into mythology for parts of their stories, which I really enjoyed (although I didn’t need all the explanation that was given). If you think you might be interested in reading supernatural fantasy, this anthology would be a good place to sample some stories.
Rating: 8/10
The Vampire Files: Bloodlist (1990), Lifeblood (1990), Bloodcircle (1990), Art in the Blood (1991), Fire in the Blood (1991), Blood on the Water (1992), A Chill in the Blood (1998), The Dark Sleep (1999), Lady Crymsyn (2000), Dark Road Rising (2009)
Anthologies: My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006), Strange Brew (2009)
