{"id":314,"date":"2006-09-20T21:37:20","date_gmt":"2006-09-21T04:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=314"},"modified":"2025-06-29T08:50:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T12:50:05","slug":"art-in-the-blood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/314","title":{"rendered":"Art in the Blood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Art in the Blood<\/em> (1991) P. N. Elrod<\/a>
\nThe Vampire Files Vol II<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It probably means something that when I started the first story in The Vampire Files Volume Two<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

The first story in The Vampire Files Volume II<\/em> is Art in the Blood<\/em>. 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<\/a> 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.)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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!<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.
\nRating: 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Art in the Blood (1991) P. N. Elrod 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,8,291,43,16],"tags":[873,638,546,314,312,872,313],"class_list":["post-314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fantasy","category-mystery","category-paper","category-private-eye","category-supernatural","tag-chicago","tag-great-depression","tag-interwar-period","tag-jack-fleming","tag-p-n-elrod","tag-prohibition","tag-vampires"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-54","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":276,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/276","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":0},"title":"Bloodcircle","author":"Michelle","date":"June 20, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vampire Files: Bloodcircle (1990) P.N. Elrod 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Vampire-Files-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":274,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/274","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":1},"title":"The Vampire Files: Bloodlist","author":"Michelle","date":"June 19, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vampire Files: Bloodlist (1990) P.N. Elrod 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Vampire-Files-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":316,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/316","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":2},"title":"Blood on the Water","author":"Michelle","date":"September 25, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Blood on the Water (1992) P. N. Elrod 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/Vampire-Files-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":315,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/315","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":3},"title":"Fire in the Blood","author":"Michelle","date":"September 22, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Fire in the Blood (1991) P. N. Elrod 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/Vampire-Files-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":275,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/275","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":4},"title":"Lifeblood","author":"Michelle","date":"June 19, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vampire Files: Lifeblood (1990) P.N. Elrod 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Vampire-Files-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2550,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2550","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":5},"title":"The Devil You Know","author":"Michelle","date":"September 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The Devil You Know (2009) P. N. Elrod I like PN Elrod's Jack Fleming series. Jack is a vampire, living in the 1930s, who works as a private eye, owns a nightclub, and quite accidentally developed ties to the Chicago mob. It's fun, and I enjoy the setting immensely. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/devil-you-know-elrod.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}