Customer Reviews

Bloodlist (Vampire Files, No. 1)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a vampire novel. 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?

P.N. Elrod's series about Jack Fleming is in the hard-boiled detective genre. Fleming is a good guy (although with worries about his own ethics). Fleming is a former journalist (before he died), now working as a sidekick to a private investigator. The series takes place in the Chicago of the '30s, after Al Capone is locked up, but before the Depression ends. Criminal gangs are still a big force in Chicago. Besides Jack and his boss, various criminal mobs, and police both honest and corrupt, are recurring characters in the series. So is Jack's girlfriend, Bobbi, a nightclub singer. Jack drinks blood, but it doesn't have to be human- he uses cows at the Stockyards usually, and likes horses as a treat. He does, however, also drink a little from his girlfriend during sex. Sex is discreet and not too frequent in the series- no explicit details; this is a detective series, not a romance. Jack has a few supernatural powers associated with being a vampire: the usual ones of being stronger and faster than humans, and he also can turn invisible and float through walls. He must sleep during the day, on his native earth - but garlic and crosses don't bother him. There aren't any other kinds of supernatural characters in the series. As befits the detective genre, there is a certain amount of wisecracking in the dialogue; Jack can be a smart-ass sometimes, and the criminals can be inadvertently funny. Overall, the series is a well-done version of the genre, each book being easy to read and most of the characters being well-described and thought out.

The first book in the series has Jack solving a very important crime: his own murder. When he wakes up to the vampire life, he has to get used to it. A very alert private investigator notices something odd about Jack, and arranges quite ingeniously to meet him. Together, they encounter members of several different gangs. Jack meets Bobbi, a singer at the Nightcrawler Club; it's love at first site, and she doesn't mind the bite. We are left at the end of the book with one mystery resolved, but several others still hanging that let us know there will be another in the series.

The hokey titles and cover art had made me pass over this series for quite a while, even though I was very much into vampires. I judge books very much by their covers, and before I buy book, I will think, Do I want to be seen reading this book? Finally, I checked out the book and decided only to read it at home. To my surprise, it was very good.

Meet Jack Fleming, a man waking up on the side of the road to discover that he is a vampire. His character is very well drawn, and he seems very believable. His struggle to avenge his attempted murder is touchingly human, along with his somewhat inability to cope with the sudden change into vampirism.

I have read up to book three, and I am currently waiting for the library to recieve the fourth book. Try to ignore the cover art, this is actually a very good book.

I was a little bit leary when I picked up this book. I didn't really know if the book would hold my attention... I really do not like Mystery novels, but LOVE Vampire books. I decided to give the book a shot... ended up buying every book in the series half way through Bloodlist. I can't wait for the next book!

Jack Fleming is one of the coolest vampires I have ever had the pleasure of reading about! He is not the typical vampire. He's a really nice guy. He doesn't wear a cape or speak with a French accent. He's from Cincinnati.

Charles Escott... more intelligent than the average sidekick... and more amusing! I can't wait for the next book in the series, so I can learn more about him!

This is just a wonderful book series. A vampire story with a Noir twist. Jack doesn't stalk the night to find food... he wants to find criminals. He's the sidekick to a Private Agent! Or is the Private Agent the sidekick to Jack? Hmmn...

I picked up this book on a recommendation as a good example of books that cross genres. (The novel I'm working on cuts across several genres.) I love vampire books, but I'm not a big fan of hard-core detective novels, so I wasn't sure if I would like this or not. The emphasis, it seemed to me, was on the detective genre. Yes, Jack becomes a vampire and he has to deal with his new undead status, but it seems his top priority is to remember how he got dead in the first place and solve his own murder. Though I suppose if I had a chance to solve my own murder, and I could do it by becoming invisible and floating through walls, I'd do it, too!

Because of Jack's amnesia regarding the days immediately preceding his murder, the mystery is rather murky until the very end. Who are these guys, and why do they want him dead, anyway? Still, the action is exciting, the scenes in which Jack "haunts" the bad guys are a hoot, and the payoff is worth the wait. Admittedly, this novel won't get me to jump on the hardboiled detective bandwagon, but I might read more in this series.

When I picked up this book my thought's were "Mystery? Detective's? No. I don't think so." I said that 3 years ago, and now I've read every vampire related novel in the library so I sighed and picked it up, desperate for something to read. When I got it home and started I was still leery, but soon I was hooked. Now I've read 5 of the series(all that our Library has) and I want to know if there's more. They're excellent and keep you on your toes trying to solve the mysteries that come up in every novel. My favorite character is Charles. He's so suave, and smart. (another plus is the accent.) All in all, excellent plot lines that enthralls readers, well built characters, even the secondary one's, and always interesting twists. And of course, the best part. The Vampires. So, I give this series 5 stars and 3 thumbs up.(I'll just have to borrow someone else's hand)

Book Review by C. Douglas Baker

If you like comic book quality action/adventure with a bit of the supernatural thrown in you will like Bloodlist, Book One of The Vampire Files. Bloodlist cannot really be considered part of the horror genre because, really, it isn't that scary. That is unless an inept vampire getting riddled with bullet holes and blundering into trouble constantly constitutes "horror".

Set in a gangster ridden Chicago, circa late 1930's, Jack Fleming, an unemployed reporter, is murdered. Jack comes back as a vampire as a result of an extended affair with a vampire, Maureen. He likens vampirism to a disease that is not contagious and is hard to catch or "we would be up to our armpits in vampires". The mysterious Maureen has inexplicably disappeared, leaving an obvious opening for the next book in the series. But I digress. Jack has been murdered by gangsters but his post-transformation amnesia leaves him with few clues as to why he was murdered; so he snoops around. Along the way he runs into a personable private eye, Charles Escott. Together they try to unravel the mystery, rather clumsily if the truth be known. Both are rather worse for the wear by the end of the adventure. And the mystery is really solved by....well, lets not spoil it.

Bloodlist certainly is not great literature but it is rather fun. Characterization is surprisingly well done and while the plot is not exceptional it does keep the reader's interest. If you want a relaxing read where little mental energy has to be expended and the story is both humorous and fast paced, then check out Bloodlist. On the other hand, if you are still searching for the next coming of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles steer well clear.

Jack Fleming does not remember how he became a vampire let alone how he ended up dead, which lends an air of mystery to "Bloodlist," Book One in P. N. Elrod's Vampire Files series. Jack was (is?) a reporter, so he sets about to learn who wanted (wants?) him dead. Fortuantely, shortly after waking up on the beach a goon tries to run him down and tell Jack, after some encouragment, that he had some sort of list that is important enough for some gangster types to want him dead. Unfortunately, Jack remembers none of this. Allied with Charles Escott, an eccentric private investigator and former actor who is fascinated by Jack's current, ah, condition, our hero gets closer and closer to solving one of this two burning mysteries. Along the way he makes the acquaintance of Bobbi, a beautiful singer at one of the clubs and the current "girlfriend" of one of the bad guys. But even dead, Jack knows how to show a lady a good time. More importantly, eventually he gets to remember every excruciating detail of his "death."

"Bloodlist" certainly establishes the potential for this series, which as even Jack notices is more reminiscent of the Shadow than Dracula; the best parts of this book are when Jack uses his new powers to toy with the bad guys. Jack is a vampire, but since he feeds his blood lust at the Chicago Stockyards and is still trying to learn the ropes about being one of the undead he qualifies as being a "good" vampire. As a faithful sidekick, Escott is a unique combination of elements from a lot of literary ancestors, while Bobbi makes an interesting love interest for our hero simply because she does not bat an eye at Jack's unique approach to love making. Elrod is fleshing out her take on vampirism slowly, which is fine, but the noir aspects need to be developed more. Elrod does not display much of a feel for the setting of this first novel, which is supposed to be Chicago after Capone. However, The Vampire Files is clearly a series that is going to rest on the strength of the three main characters and she has certainly given herself something to build upon. Plus, there is that other mystery to solve as to how he ended up undead.

"Bloodlist" begins the saga of Jack Fleming, a 1930s journalist who discovers a little too much for his own good--and after his brutal murder by mobsters, returns for revenge as a vampire. This first story, told from Fleming's own perspective in a wry and laconic style that is much different from Elrod's other works, is just the start of an exciting and humorous series.

Elrod has a great range at period stories, and the violent streets of gangland Chicago provide an especially unique setting. While Fleming often refers to himself as "supernatural", this book and its sequels give refreshing thought to more biological aspects of his vampirism. To top all that, the characters are engaging, the action is vibrant, and Fleming is truly a one-of-a-kind protagonist.

Whether you enjoy detective stories, vampire stories, or both, "Bloodlist" is not to be passed up.

Meet Jack Flemming, ace reporter for a New York newspaper. At the beginning of our story, Mr. Flemming has just woken up to find out a number of interesting things about himself. First off, he's dead. Actually, to be more precise, he's UNdead: apparently the woman he had been dating who said she was a vampire wasn't kidding!! Jack Flemming is now a member of the Creatures of the Night Club, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails.

Having had an idea that something like this just might happen to him (there is no guarantee that being bitten by a vampire would transform you into one), Jack is surprisingly cool about his new transition. What is bothering him more is WHY is he dead in the first place, and what is he doing in Chicago? Some nasty-looking bullet holes are rapidly healing on his chest, which gives him the sinking suspicion he didn't die from food poisoning. Unfortunately, dying has affected his memory and he can't remember why he's dead or what he's supposed to be doing in Chicago. Still, as the jacket says, "there are definite advantages to being a vampire. For starters, you can track down your own murderer."

A good deal of "Bloodlist" involves Jack getting familiar with his new body and all the new restrictions and expansions on his new "life" (no pun intended). He is, of course, suddenly restricted to a liquid diet and daylight hours are right out. On the other hand, he has gained tremendous strength, agility, heightened senses and a handy ability to disappear at will (a skill he uses to hilarious effect in his efforts to track down his own killer and determine why he was bumped off).

Ms. Elrod has created a very likable fellow in a heretofore-unexplored genre: hardboiled vampire detective. In the tradition of such classics as "The Maltese Falcon", Flemming explores the underbelly of Chicago in the years after Capone was imprisoned, but the crime bosses still ran the city. It's got that gritty, seedy flavor to it that detective and mystery aficionados will love, and with the introduction of a main character that is a vampire, the book takes the reader into a new and exciting direction.

Flemming himself is a fine fellow and unlike the bloodthirsty, virgin-enchanting monsters of most vamp stories who would just as soon rip your heart out as say hello. Unlike most other vamp stories where the vampires have a seething contempt of humankind, Flemming tries to keep his humanity about him as much as possible and put his new talents to good use by avenging his own death. He visits the stockyards to feed and even sends money to his mother in rural New York. He is, in short, the sort of guy you'd actually like to have as a friend, though he won't be much fun as a dinner date.

This is the first in Vampire Files series, and though you don't need to read them in order, you'll find that you WANT to because they're so good. I myself am not into vamp or Goth culture, but I do very much enjoy a good read. If you're looking for ancient, power-mad monsters who mercilessly feast on the living blood of the innocent, you'll probably be disappointed. If you're looking for a new detective story with a talented man still grappling with issues of his humanity (all the while trading wisecracks and one-liners with himself and other characters) and his search for the guilty, you've found it right here. The whole series is highly recommended!!

I've been hooked on vampire novels for a long time but for some reason have been bypassing P.N. Elrod novels and finally took chance on Bloodlist. I'm not surprised that I really enjoyed the story of Jack Fleming, a vampire with a conscience and on a mission to find out who killed him. The story is filled with a refreshing mix of characters. After Jack, I especially loved Charles Escott and Shoe Coldfield and I find the time period charming (the era of prohibition). This novel was a pleasant change and I've already picked up volume 2, LifeBlood and hope that I will enjoy it as much as I hope to slowly work my way through the entire series.