Customer Reviews

Blood Trail: Victory Nelson Private Investigator: Otherworldly Crimes a Specialty

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Blood Trail" is the second in Tanya Huff's vampire series. Written in 1992 it anticipates and foreshadows Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series. Huff's heroine is similar to Anita in that she is tough and self willed, but she is a bit more subdued, lacks any special powers and is handicapped by the retinosa pigmentosa which is slowly making her go blind. Nor are the settings similar, Toronto instead of St. Louis, and vampires are rare and not necessarily monstrous. While Huff's stories have an element of romance in them, they do not even approach the steamy vampire sexiness that Hamilton puts together with ease.

That being said, this tale starts out in Toronto, but rapidly shifts to the countryside around London, Ontario. At vampire Henry Fitzroy's request Vicki is helping to discover a sniper who is trying to kill a family of werewolves. Nightblind, Vicki will do the day work and Henry will watch the night. Two have already died before Vicki arrives, and Henry is wounded on his very first patrol. Vicki is initially wary of the wer, but soon discovers that they are hardly the creatures of horror stories. Instead the Heerkens family are pleasant, caring folk who live very much in the present and who have an overwhelming charm. To the observer they are ordinary farmers with a lot of dogs and a penchant for nudity. Vicki makes a strong connection with some of the younger members of the pack and rapidly becomes determined to track down the real monster, the guy with the gun.

On top of Henry's injury, an attempt is made on Vicki's life when her brake lines are cut. To make matters worse, Mike Celluci, Vicki's ex-partner, and sometimes lover, appears from Toronto. Mike is convinced that Henry is an organized crime boss and has come to rescue her. Needless to say, rescuing is not what she needs. Mike inadvertently finds out that the people for whom Vicki is working are werewolves and nearly has a coping failure. And he never quite gets his confrontation with Henry. And in the meantime, the killer is still stalking the werewolves. The wer themselves refuse to limit there own freedom, making Henry and Vicki's task even more complicated as they seek for a hunter who is also an extraordinary marksman.

All of this adds up to a great tale. With an entire family of werewolves to present, Huff keeps extraneous characters to a minimum. The most interesting are the country doctor who cares for the Heerkens and a curious woman who teaches Vicki more than she ever wanted to know about Olympic Marksmanship competition. The Heerkens family itself is fascinating from Nadine and Stuart, the alpha pair to the young twins Rose and Peter. Huff has managed to create a new kind of werewolf that seems as true as if it followed the legends exactly. Huff's brew is a mix of humor and suspense that makes "Blood Trail" a unique and satisfying book.

This is the second book in a series about Vicki Nelson, PI, and Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, bastard son of Henry VIII, and vampire. Those who already know that they like vampire novels, anything at all that features a vampire, can skip this review, and likewise, those who hate the whole idea of vampires can skip it. But for those trying to decide whether or not to read more of this genre, or whether the one vampire novel you've already read was a fluke, it may help to have some ways to categorize these novels. Thus: BunRab's Standard Vampire Classification Guide. First, most authors of vampire novels approach from one of the main genres of genre fiction; thus their background may be primarily in romance, or in science fiction/fantasy, or in murder mysteries, or in horror. Second, many vampire novels come in series; knowing whether this is one of a series, and where in the series it falls, may be helpful. Then we have some particular characteristics: - Is the vampire character (or characters) a "good guy" or a "bad guy"? Or are there some of each? - Are there continuing characters besides the vampire, through the series? - Are there other types of supernatural beings besides vampires? - Can the vampire stand daylight under some circumstances, or not stand daylight at all? - Does the vampire have a few other supernatural characteristics, many other supernatural characteristics, or none other than just being a vampire? (E.g., super strength, change into an animal, turn invisible) - Does the vampire have a regular job and place in society, or is being a vampire his or her entire raison d'etre? - Does the vampire literally drink blood, or is there some other (perhaps metaphorical) method of feeding? - Is sex a major plot element, a minor plot element, or nonexistent? - Is the entire vampire feeding act a metaphor for sex, part of a standard sex act, or unrelated to sex? - Is the story set in one historical period, more than one historical period, or entirely in the present day? - Does the story have elements of humor, or is it strictly serious? - Is the writing style good, or is the writing just there to manage to hold together the plot and characters?

Tanya Huff's series about the vampire Henry Fitzroy starts from the mystery and thriller genres (Huff also writes Fantasy), and is a continuing series. Fitzroy is a good guy, just leading a quiet life. The continuing characters include several types of humans: police officers, detectives, street people, family members. There are other supernatural characters, usually only one type per book (e.g., werewolves). Henry definitely can't stand daylight at all; it literally burns him. He has extraordinary strength and speed, and a sort of hypnotic influence but no "magic" powers. In fact, other than the existence of a few types of supernatural beings, there is little supernatural going in in the series - it's everyday modern Toronto, not a fantasy world. He's got a day job - er, make that a night job: he's a writer. He drinks blood, usually from consenting adults, sometimes associated with sex, but not necessarily. There is sex in the books, but it's a minor plot element, not graphically detailed. These stories are there for the mystery/thriller elements; romance is only a sideline. Huff allows the characters to have a sense of humor: witty dialogue, a way with words. Some of the characters are set up for humor and farce as well, although not in a crude or gross way. The writing is well above average for "genre fiction" and the books are quite enjoyable to read.

Blood Trail continues with Vicki getting to know Henry better, as they take a trip out to a rural town to help out some friends of Henry's. The friends are a nice family of sheep farmers who just happen to be werewolves as well. Somebody is trying to kill off the werewolves. One member of the family isn't a farmer- he's a police constable. The dialogue between Colin and his partner officer Barry, who is of Asian descent, is funny - since both were the only minorities, they banded together at Police Academny and have stuck together since. Their comradeship includes the exchange of buddy insults: "Sheep-f - -er." "Yellow Peril." Guy stuff. In the meantime, Mike Celucci, the Toronto cop, is worried about Vicki being off somewhere with Henry, and decides to investigate Henry's background. The conclusions he jumps to from the lack of background he finds lead, of course, to a wonderful fight with Vicki. Along the way, we also meet a religious nut/gardener and his sleazy con-man nephew; a little old lady in tennis shoes who is a championship rifle shooter, and a few other odd characters. The details of werewolf family life are nicely done.

This is Tanya Huff's second novel in the "Blood Series." If you have not read Ms. Huff's entire series, be sure to obtain all five books. They are excellent and you will not be disappointed! (Blood Price; Blood Trial; Blood Lines; Blood Pact; Blood Debt).

In her first novel, Blood Price, you met ex-cop Vickie Nelson turned private investigator, who had to leave the police force due to a dibilitating eye condition which leaves her literally blind at night. Quite by accident while working on a case, Vickie met romance writer/400 year old vampire Henry. Henry helped Vickie with her first case by being her eyes at night. Vickie and Henry are not only friends but there is an attraction beginning to blossom between them. Also in the mix is Vickie's ex working partner, Mike Celluli, who she still sees as a friend and romantic interest. This second book continues here.

Vickie receives a telephone call from her friend Henry. He has a new case for her if she decides to accept. Vickie goes to Henry's apartment to meet her new clients, who turn out to be none other than werewolves. It seems that someone has discovered the werewolves' secret (that they are indeed half human, half animal), and has been shooting and killing various family members. The various killings have all taken place at night while the weres are at their home (they own a farm in the London countryside). As you can guess, the weres cannot go to the police in fear of their secret being discovered. Vickie and Henry will have to go to the weres' farm and work together to help the weres discover the killer before any further family members are killed. That's the basic premise of the story.

I have noticed that many vampire fans of early Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series have always recommended Tanya Huff's series as another excellent vampire series. I have to agree. I collect all types of vampire novels, and next to the early Anita Blake's work, this series is just as good. You will not be disappointed. I highly recommend.

In this 2nd book with Vicki Nelson & Henry Fitzroy. Herny has freinds in trouble, & they want to hire Victory to help them. Someone is picking them off one by one, & they can't go to their local police because they have a big secret: they are Werewolves. Ms. Huff makes me believe there are Werewolves, not the monster movie kind, but a Breed of creatures striving to survive just like humans. Vicki, can't resist a challange & rides to the rescue. Major complication is Mike Celluci her ex-partner/lover, he didn't totally catch on to the whole super natural thing last time(Blood Price), so he totally unprepared for what he steps into in this investigation. Wonderful believable characters, fast paced... with lots of different elements.. ScFi, Horror, Mystery & Romance.. Enjoy.

"Blood Trail" is the second instalment in Tanya Huff's "Blood" series and it is superb. I loved the first book in this series, "Blood Price", and so was thrilled to discover that the second book was just as good, maybe better. With three central characters who I have really come to care about and a storyline that gripped me from page one and wouldn't let go, "Blood Trail" is an immensely entertaining and satisfying read!

The series revolves around Private Investigator Vicki Nelson, an ex-policewoman forced to resign from the force because of her failing eyesight. Vicki is a wonderful heroine, a tough and determined woman who readers can respect, but at the same time she has plenty of vulnerabilities which make her seem all the more real and allow readers to identify with her. In "Blood Trail", Vicki's friend, Henry Fitzroy, 450-year-old vampire, romance writer, and bastard son of Henry VIII, comes to her with a plea for help. Henry's good friends, a large family called the Heerkens, are being murdered one by one, and they can't go to the police for help because they have an amazing secret, they're werewolves! The two members of the family who have been killed so far were shot at night in their fur-form, which makes it all the more complicated, since Vicki is completely night-blind. But once Vicki meets two of the younger Heerkens, twins named Rose and Peter, she just can't refuse. So Henry and Vicki head out of Toronto into the countryside around London, Ontario - Vicki planning to do the day work and Henry the night.

But as Vicki begins to investigate, it soon becomes clear that the Heerkens haven't been as careful as they thought. Someone knows just what they are and is planning to murder them all. After a close examination of the area, Vicki discovers where the killer did his/her shooting from, but it doesn't bring her any closer to finding out who it is. And from the location the shots were fired, the killer has to be an Olympic calibre marksman, which doesn't bode well for the wer, who refuse to limit their freedom.

And as time goes by, Vicki becomes more and more attached to the Heerkens, and more and more determined to catch the monster who is murdering these good people before anyone else dies. Huff does an excellent job of portraying the wer society, making it highly similar to that of real wolves. All of the wers are beautifully portrayed, and Huff makes them seem incredibly real; from Stuart and Nadine, the alpha pair, all the way down to Daniel, the youngest child and an exuberant little cub.

And amidst the mystery and suspense, Vicki's relationship with Henry (the main reason I like these books so much) is developing and growing into something very important to both of them. It's great watching Vicki and Henry interact, and the character interactions get REALLY interesting as Mike Celluci, Vicki's best friend, former partner, and sometime lover, arrives to find out just what is going on. Mike, still a cop with the Toronto police, is convinced that Henry is involved in organized crime, and plans to prove it to Vicki. Of course, when Mike arrives, he has a serious coping failure when he discovers what Vicki has gotten herself involved in, and things get a little crazy.

"Blood Trail" builds in suspense, and as the conclusion gets closer, it becomes harder and harder to put the book down. I was utterly absorbed in the story and was amazed when I finished and realized I had read the whole book in one day! Huff has created another winning tale that is sure to please readers everywhere. Vicki, Henry, and Mike will compel you to read about them, and the wers are just the icing on the cake. "Blood Trail" is a fabulous read, containing a perfect blend of mystery, fantasy, and romance. So don't miss out on the fun and excitement, buy "Blood Trail" today!

This is the second book in the Vicki Nelson/Henry Fitzroy series. Vicki's life is just getting back to normal after her demon-hunting escapade in the last book when Henry, a 450-year old vampire, gives her a call. He introduces her to two of his friends, who just happen to be werewolves. They need her help to find the person responsible for shooting two members of their family while they were in wolf form. Vicki cannot say no and travels out to the countryside with Henry to take the case. There she struggles to find someone with the skill to shoot the wolves while learning about werewolf culture and exploring her relationship with Henry and her sometimes boyfriend Mike Celluci.

I enjoyed this book more than the first book as I felt that the characters were more fully developed. Vicki and Henry become more three-dimensional and the werewolves are simply delightful to read about. The twins, Peter and Rose, and Daniel, their younger cousin, provide touches of humor and playfulness to the plot.

It was interesting to see how Tanya Huff differed in her description of werewolf culture compared to other authors in her genre. She brought out much more of the wolf in their character than the human aspect. First of all, werewolves are born that way and you cannot be turned into a werewolf. The werewolves stay in packs with a dominant alpha male and female, who are the only two allowed to breed (just like wolves in the wild). Many werewolves are born as twins and find it very difficult to be separated from them. They have a hard time going to school as they find it too confining to wear clothes and to be apart from others of their kind. There are many other interesting aspects of their culture, as well.

I gave the book 4 stars because, although I really enjoyed learning about werewolf culture and loved the werewolves themselves, there is still not a lot of depth to the plot. It was pretty obvious who the murderer was as the author only introduces you to a few characters so that was a little disappointing because I love a good mystery. Still, this book was very enjoyable and most readers who read this genre will find it a pleasant way to pass the time. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to find out if it keeps getting better...

Tanya Huff did a excellent job when writing this book. She put together a funny, thrilling, serious and sad book that keeps you on your toes. Henry and Victory are two of the best characters in this series I have seen. This book reminds you of some of the wrong that religion has done to people, the serious part, and also reminds you that being yourself is fun, the funny part. My favorite shifter has to be Shadow the youngest son. He is hilarious in his clown like ways and just makes you laugh. My family thought I was crazy when I laughed out load at Shadow's antics. Tanya Huff with her Blood series isn't quite up to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series but she has got me re-reading her books!

Seriously though anyone who is a fan of vampire or lyncanthrope fiction needs to read this book. I fell absolutely in love with the Blood series and any Hamilton fan will instantly. Huff takes a lot of the same concepts and a very similiar headstrong female lead and goes in an entirely different and equally captivating direction. Huff breathes life into the werewolf mythology that is really unique. Truth be told, I was very sad that the series came to a hault where it did and I will warn any readers that it will bother you too. They are just too good.

I did enjoy this book, to an extent. In this novel Vicki and Herny travel to London, Ontario (I did not know there was a London in Canada!) to investigate a slew of werewolf deaths. The `whodunnit' is intriguing and well-crafted, the werewolf mythology is smart and fresh, and some wonderful secondary characters are introduced...
BUT, there was one minor point I had a big problem with, and that's what is influencing this entire review.

In `Blood Price' a character called Tony Foster was introduced. He is a nineteen-year-old `street kid' who Vicki knew in her previous life as a cop. She first met Tony when he was 15, and has used him as her eyes and ears on the street, while also trying to look after him. Many times Vicki laments Tony's situation, especially because he's been prone to hooking when money is tight and she's concerned about AIDS. In `Blood Price' Vicki was forced to introduce Tony to Henry... and when `Blood Trail' opens we learn that Henry has gone beyond that initial meeting to become Tony's lover, landlord and employer - all in exchange for Tony's blood donations.
Ummm... I wasn't okay with that.

For one thing: Tony and Henry having a sexual relationship before Vicki and Henry sort of deflated the sexual tension for me. Especially because for the five months between `Blood Price' and `Blood Trail', Henry has been refusing Vicki's advances - blaming it on the injuries she received at the end of `Blood Price'. Henry claims he is waiting for Vicki to recover from her blood loss... yet for five months he's been (presumably?) having sex and taking blood from Tony?

The other `ick' for me was the fact that Vicki and Tony are friends - but their friendship borders very close to a maternal relationship, at least according to my interpretation. Vicki has been looking out for Tony since he was 15, and Tony has likewise looked up to Vicki as an icon of sorts.
At one point Vicki muses on the fact that Tony has matured since meeting Henry, and that her and Tony's dynamic feels less child/adult and more adult/adult in recent months. And yet, it's still a case of (for me) one of Vicki's friends screwing around with the guy she's had her eye on. Not cool! True, in `Blood Trail' Vicki and Henry have not had sex yet, so Tony was technically there first... but Tanya Huff set Vicki and Henry up as the main focus of the series.

I was further frustrated by all this Vicki/Henry/Tony stuff because Tanya Huff mentions it in passing, and so casually. There's a `blink and you'll miss it' scene in which we learn of Henry and Tony's sex life - and I had to go back and re-read because I was so shell-shocked by it.

I was even less okay with Vicki's reaction to the news. It was the sort of bomb that once dropped I wanted Vicki to deconstruct and analyse, but she didn't.
Vicki, remaining true to her character, is less upset about Tony and Henry's sexual relationship, and more insulted that Henry has done what she couldn't ... get Tony off the streets.
It got to the point where, the Tony/Henry revelation was so fascinating to me, and I felt such indignation on Vicki's behalf, that I desperately wanted Vicki to address the issue and get properly annoyed with Henry. But she didn't. And the more the topic was avoided and never again alluded to, the more frustrated I got... to the point where I think I kept reading, purely in the hopes that there would be a huge explosive confrontation... But there wasn't. Huff does not address the pink elephant/vampire in the book.

Perhaps I could have dealt with my Henry/Tony issues if it became glaringly obvious that any relationship with Tony wouldn't get in the way of Henry's feelings for Vicki... except, the opposite happens in `Blood Trail'.

I was let down by Henry and Vicki's first lovemaking. They finally have sex halfway through the book, Huff having masterfully built up tension and attraction - but it's a very slap-dash coupling that feels almost seedy;

To be fair, it's not in Vicki's character to be all gooey and sentimental, not even post-coitus. But Henry is a romance writer, and he's from a time when there really were knights in shining armour. Sure, four hundred years may have hardened him to the world and being undead would certainly impact his personality... but this scene just felt so mechanical and unemotional.
Nor did it help that in the lead-up to the sex, Henry's sole motivation was hunger. He needed to feed, and since he can't feed from werewolves Vicki was meal... he makes no mention of wanting her for her, but only for her blood supply. I know vampires are cold, but that is just ridiculous.
Honestly, I thought Henry and Tony's post-coitus talk was far more romantic. But if Henry and Vicki are supposed to be the main attraction, (of *this* series) shouldn't it be the other way around? At this point I am actually wondering why Tony and Henry aren't the HEA of this series?

With `Blood Trail' I came to understand those modern reviewers who warned people off this series for its lack of smut.
I don't like smut for smut's sake (hello Laurell K Hamilton!) but sex scenes can often communicate a deeper attraction between characters than can be interpreted from dialogue, interaction etc. I think this book really would have benefited from some descriptive sex scenes. Because reading it, I thought; `Henry only wants Vicki for her blood. Vicki only wants Henry for his body. End of attraction' - and I'm really not sure if that's what Huff intended? And if it is... then why do I care about these characters and their relationship?

To be fair, I am only 2 books into this series. Henry is still very much the mysterious vampire - though we do garner a few more bits and pieces of his life (like his time as a spy in WWII). Henry is still developing, and Vicki and Henry's relationship is still fresh... I'm sure there's more progress to come.

Furthermore, I think Huff is trying to avoid clichés. Typically vampire characters fall into one of two categories - monster or lover. Writers either go the route of blood-sucking fiends, or neck-sucking Lotharios. I can appreciate that Huff is writing in Henry a vampire who is a bit more grounded in reality. He's not sentimental - he has numerous lovers and doesn't really intend to get too close to any of them. But still, when Vicki is already such a hard-nut character, equally allergic to `relationships', it's too much cold indifference for one coupledom. Especially since this is a series, and as readers we're supposed to root for Vicki/Henry enough to want to read more of them, see if they get a happy ending etc, etc, etc.

I wasn't particularly fond of this book, which is a shame after `Blood Price' impressed me so much. The `whodunnit' of `Blood Trail' is brilliant. The werewolf mythology is wonderful and unique, and I enjoyed the introduction of some new secondary characters. But the big pit-fall for me lay in the development (or lack thereof) of Vicki and Henry, both as individuals, and as a couple.

This is the second book in a series by Tanya Huff. And it gets better and better. The trio is back, Vicki, Henry and Mike, who all come together to help solve the case of who's harming and killing the werewolves, who also happen to be Henry's friends. Vicki and Henry get closer in this one. :)A great wonderful book!