Blood & Shadows [Paperback]

Michael Main (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2002

Eric Baine is pretty lively for a dead guy. With determination and deadpan wit, he faces down a variety of villainsincluding vampires, werecats and ninjasin Blood and Shadows, Michael E. E. Main's debut novel. The action is fast-paced, the characters individual, interesting and fun. I look forward to many sequels! Marion Moore Hill, author of Bookmarked for Murder"That's the beauty of my position, Doctor Grimes. I can make a theory go a long way. See, I'm not a cop. The whole 'theory and fact and evidence leading to proof' thing is just one big grey area for me. If I can get a theory to hold together pretty well, then that's really all I need." I cracked my knuckles. "And, if the guy behind all this is a vampirewell, then he's not really alive, is he? So I don't have to worry about the 'legality' of putting a stake through his heart, and then running him through a tree shredder."Grimes stuck his nose in the air again. "How droll."Hard-boiled detective, Eric Baine, and his vampire/assassin sidekick, Azrael, battle ninjas, a vampire High Lord, and shadow demons in this dark, fast-paced fantasy. When Baine's sarcastic client disappears and he meets a mysterious Chinese woman with psychic powers, the story really heats up.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael E. E. Main grew up in Indianapolis, attended Manchester College and The University of Toledo, and currently teaches college writing in Chicago. He lives with two cats, neither named Feriel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (October 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595251927
• ISBN-13: 978-0595251926
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,287,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Main knocks 'em DEAD..., December 11, 2002

By 

"densityman" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood & Shadows (Paperback)

Incredibly well-written, imaginative and above all else FUN! The characters, plot and world are all well thought through with many twists on conventional undead mythos. Anyone with a well-developed sense of humor, wit and imagination should LOVE this book. Stop reading the reviews already... go buy this book!

I laughed out loud and cannot wait for more files from the smart-assed, undead detective, Eric Baine (oh yeah... and from that Michael guy behind the keyboard too).

5.0 out of 5 stars Shape Shifters, Ghosts, Vampires, and a Dead Detective, September 29, 2004

By 

Tara (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood & Shadows (Hardcover)

An old fashioned macho detective with a new twist, he's dead and filled with cauked up holes. This book crosses several genres, and might be of particular interest to readers of vampire novels, mystery and science fiction. There are some great new ideas concerning vampire society, ghosts, imps in bottles, and your general undead. The author has done his research as well, and scenes are very detailed.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings New Meaning to the Word, January 2, 2003

By 

S. Kent "professional nerd" (here) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood & Shadows (Paperback)

Okay, so you've got this detective who's dedicated his existence to ridding the world of evil. He's strong, sensitive, and...oh, yeah...he's dead.

"Blood and Shadows" is a new kind of detective novel; not only are the stakes much higher (the destruction of the world), but our hero isn't the virile, sexy type. Eric Baine, the Dead Detective, patches himself up with spackle after gunfights. He wears a metal plate to cover up the missing part of his head. When faced with (well, relatively speaking) mortal danger, the spirit controlling his body takes over and obliterates any threat with a blinding green light. Mike Hammer, he ain't.

Therein lies the beauty of this novel. Main spices this supernatural tale with dark humor, morals, and even romance. The relationship between Baine and Ming Li, his mysterious Chinese muse, is touching--simply because it's one of the more seemingly possible things in a universe of impossibility. Dead guys need love, too.

The fact that this is Main's first published novel is a shame--this quirky concept has fleshed out nicely and, should Main continue to offer new Baine adventures, he will have breathed new life into a dying genre. (Okay, the puns are a little much...but you get the point, right?) "Blood and Shadows" is a funny, gripping, wonderful novel.