Blood Price

Blood Price (1991) Tanya Huff

I’m embarrassed to admit how long I’ve had this book without reading it. In fact, it’s been so long that I’m not even certain precisely how long it has been, but I’m thinking I picked it up in ’94 or ’95, along with its two companion volumes. (The price was $3.99, if that tells you anything, although I got it used.) Not that I didn’t try to start this book before. I did. A rather long time ago. However, the first chapter is rather gruesome, and I thought the book was going to be horror, so I put it back for later. It’s just that later took a lot longer to get here than I expected.

And to be honest, I’d actually forgotten I had this book. For entirely too long now, I’ve been double stacking my books on the book cases, so this book ended up in the behind row. It was only because I was looking for another book yesterday that I stumbled upon Blood Price, and realized that they probably weren’t horror like I was thinking they were, and considering how much I like Charlaine Harris and Simon Green, I should go ahead and give these another try.

So yes, it was gruesome, but not so much so that I couldn’t stand it, and no more than other books I’ve read.

Vicki Nelson left the police force because a degenerative disease is slowly causing her to lose her sight. However, until that happens, she’s hung out her shingle as a private investigator. But she still gets into fights with Mike Celluci, her ex-coworker and ex-lover, and a case she stumbles upon draws them back together, rather against both their wills.

This is a quick read, but an enjoyable one. Although I’m used to my supernatural thrillers with private detectives being written as mysteries, this is written more as a thriller–we know long before our heroes who the bad guy is. And to be honest, I think I might have preferred this as a mystery, but it was still good. The best thing being Vicki Nelson. Vicki is flawed, and not just in her failing eyesight. But that makes her other flaws easier to deal with. I’m more willing to put up with a bitchy character when they have a very good reason for being so cranky.

It also helped explain why someone who was a good cop would take stupid risks. Which she did repeatedly.

Considering all the interest vampire books have gained in recent years, it was interesting to go back and read this book which had been written when about the only vampire books around were Anne Rice’s. (Well, the only ones that I knew about anyway.) There are a few things that date the book, although not many. (Though the skinny leather tie was definitely one of those things.)

Another positive for this book is that although it is part of a series, it has a complete story arc, and is written more as a mystery series than a fantasy series. As I’m a big fan of fantasy authors who can actually complete a story in a single book, I was very happy about this.

About the only serious complaint I have, is a line that stopped me cold.

“Bribes” the sergeant snorted, the ends of his beautifully curled mustache quivering with the force of his exhalation.

How, precisely, do you snort the word bribes? I can’t managed it.

Despite that flaw, I managed to enjoy the book, and am glad that I stumbled upon it yesterday, and am looking forward to the other two books.

And if you’re interested in reading these books yourself, with the latest vampire craze, there are new releases out, so you won’t have to resort to used bookstores to find a copy.
Rating: 7/10

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