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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For What It Is, It Is Not So Bad, March 3, 2006
Other readers have slammed this book for being rushed or too light or fake. Well we are not talking Shakespeare here. The book has a nice little plot and all the loose ends get tied up in the end. The characters are whimsical and it was nice to read. The murder was not too horrible and I think the vampire aspect was amusing. This is the sort of book to read before going to bed, to take your mind off your own personal problems and take you out of yourself for a short while, and I found the book relaxing and entertaining. I plan to read other novels by this author.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable but doesn't quite come together, September 27, 2005
Gay vampire Simon Kirby-Jones is working on his latest historical romance novel and trying to decide whether to make a move on his hunky research assistant when his former lover, Tristan Lovelace moves back. Tristan claims he's decided he was wrong to dump Simon--and wants him back. All of which leaves Simon conflicted--it's hard to get those old feelings out, especially since Tristan was the vampire that converted Simon in the first place. The love triangle is disturbed by the arrival of a medieval reenactment next to research assistant Sir Gile's manor. The medieval society is torn between rival claimants to the crown--and the animosities run deep. But when one of the claimants is poisoned, Simon has to wonder whether game-playing and reenacting really is significant enough for murder. Could there be some hidden motive behind the poison. For example, could Tristan be taking advantage of the animosity to hide his own involvement. Together with Giles, and with the backing of handsome and barely out of the closet police detective Robin, Simon investigates. The idea of a gay vampire detective investigating medieval reenactors holds the promise of considerable humor. I was disappointed, therefore, that author Dean James chose to play this fairly straight. The humor is left in potential. Reviews of earlier Simon Kirby-Jones mysteries indicate that James is playing with the familiar mystery motifs. Here, I found any send-up to be too well hidden. We were left with a fairly standard mystery that just happened to involve a gay romance-writing vampire and a medieval faire. BAKED TO DEATH is written with an approachable style and certainly hooks the reader with the mystery. A bit more emphasis on the characters would have let me care more about the romantic resolution as well. I wasn't disappointed by BAKED and don't think many readers will be. I didn't think, though, that it lived up to its potential.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Supreme reading, with just a pinch of naughtiness, February 18, 2008
This review is from: Baked to Death (Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)
Ah, Mr. Dean James has done it yet again. With frightfully proper English means and manners, he has given us a wonderfully crafted murder mystery romp with all the trappings...and some vampires thrown in for good measure. The story is an incredibly fast read; so much so, that you'll probably want to reread it as soon as you're done, just for the fun of it. (I know I did.) Honestly, with its spendid imagery and penchant for detail, I was hoping that it would take a lot longer to go through, but no matter what the length, the story satisfies most completely. Will there be more adventures in store for our hero, Simon Kirby-Jones? There had better be. The world needs more delightful characters like Simon. Are you listening Mr. James? If you are, then 'thank you' for giving us Simon and all his cohorts and cronies. To everyone out there reading this...do more reading. I suggest starting with every one of Mr. James' Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries. Write-On Mr. James!
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