A Chill in the Blood (Vampire Files, No. 7) [Hardcover]

P. N. Elrod (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

In the series that Science Fiction Review called "fast...intriguing" and Mystery Scene dubbed "very entertaining," P.N. Elrod's Vampire Files have blended the macabre humor of vampire lore with the hard-boiled storytelling of detective fiction to create a series that has achieved both cult status and critical acclaim. Now the hero who has thrilled thousands of readers returns for his most dangerous adventure yet. Jack Fleming was a man of many trades. When he was alive, he was a reporter with a nose for the grittiest news. Now that he's dead, he's a private eye with a thirst for justice--and blood. But being a vampire with morals is no midnight stroll on the mean streets of post-prohibition Chicago. There's a cold wind blowing off the lake. It smells of death. And even Jack can feel its chill. For in the city of sin, the gangs still rule--and they're on the brink of an all-out war. No one--not the crooks or the cops--cares how much blood, innocent or otherwise, flows during the fight. No one--except a certain undead P.I. caught between the local hoods and the boys from New York. Can Jack stop the battle before it starts? And how much of his remaining humanity will he have to give up to do so?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gangland Chicago, 1937. Jack Fleming, vampire PI, doesn't care for the Mob. He was killed once by a Mob boss, see, and he's seen too many shot down since. Ambitious gangsters are like roaches--there always seem to be more coming out of the woodwork. And the wise guys never seem to learn that knives, bullets, and drowning don't kill the immortal Jack. They just make him mad. In A Chill in the Blood Jack has good reason to be mad. The prohibition laws have just been repealed, and the mobsters are immersed in vicious warfare on his turf. Jack's very mortal partner, Charles Escott, has a hit placed on his life, and Jack is forced into negotiations with a powerful gang leader--Angela Paco. It turns out that Angela is the daughter of the mobster who ended Jack's human life, thus transforming him into a vampire.

A Chill in the Blood is the seventh book in P.N. Elrod's noir detective series, the Vampire Files. Mixing horror, mystery, and comedy, these books really bite! Nona Vero

From Publishers Weekly

Brisk and bloody action paces this slick new case in Elrod's Vampire Files, which picks up where the series left off with Blood on the Water (1992). Conscientious PI Jack Fleming, who's a vampire, still prowls the mean streets of Depression-era Chicago, putting the bite on crooks and reflecting wryly on his divided nature ("Sure I was a vampire, but like everyone else on the planet I'm still only human"). Although one of the undead, he's the least cold-blooded character in this hard-boiled shoot-em-up laced with larceny and murder. From the moment he's fished off the bottom of Lake Michigan in the opening pages, he finds himself a pawn in a brutal turf war waged by mob moll Angela Paco and a rival from New York eager to usurp her control of the Hydra syndicate. Jack's efforts to contain the combat and save the skin of a bookkeeper caught in the crossfire are complicated by the intrusion of Merrill Adkins, a federal crimebuster as vicious as the hoods he hunts. And when $700,000 secretly skimmed from the Hydra coffers becomes part of the spoils, even he can't keep track of the double-crosses and betrayals. Elrod excels at creating sticky situations that test Jack's resolve to limit displays of his vampire powers to hypnotism and invisibility, and she finds room in the busy narrative to accommodate the involvement of debonair sidekick Charles Escott, alcoholic sawbones Doc Clarson and other series regulars. Echoes of Hammett and Chandler abound, but the novel succeeds in its own right as an entertaining exercise in supernatural noir.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 327 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; 1st edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441005012
• ISBN-13: 978-0441005017
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,583,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm best known for writing THE VAMPIRE FILES, a series about an undead vampire Jack Fleming whose first case is to solve his OWN murder! There's 12 books and counting, as well as a number of short stories about his adventures.

In addition to writing, I've gone into editing and had the pleasure of working with the top names in urban fantasy with several award-winning collections.

Lately, I've just signed to edit a new anthology for St. Martin's called HEX SYMBOLS and signed a 3-book contract with Tor for a new steampunk series, ON HER MAJESTY'S PSYCHIC SERVICE. I'm currently working on the first book, THE HANGED MAN.

I consider myself to be danged lucky to have a job that I love this much!

There's a lot more info on my website: www.vampwriter.com and, yeah, you figured it, I'm on FaceBook. Far too often for my own good! Drop in and hang out!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 7 Vampire Files Novels and Counting, July 1, 2004

By 

C. Baker "cbaker" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Chill in the Blood (Vampire Files, No. 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

CHILL IN THE BLOOD is the seventh installment of the Vampire Files. While it too is rather repetitive because it uses the same plot devices as the previous stories, it does have some redeeming qualities.

Once again Jack is in a fight with the mob and goes through all kinds of physical abuse. I think in every story so far his head is smashed in by somebody. But at least here we get some more insight on some mobsters Jack befriends, like Shoe Colefield, the black mobster on that side of town. And Bobbi, Jack's lady friend, is always fun to be around.

Not the best of the Vampire Files by far, but not a total waste of time either.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!, June 1, 2000

By 

ButMadNNW (SoCal, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Chill in the Blood (Vampire Files, No. 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't realize until after I already had it home that this book was the 7th in the series. "Oh great," I thought, "if this is any good, I'm going to have 6 more books to buy!"

I started reading "Chill in the Blood" on Sunday night, and only put it down at 6am Monday morning because I started falling asleep from being up all night. I could not put it down! That afternoon I tried four different bookstores, trying to get the rest of the series. Finally had to order them all online, not to mention ordering the first book from a "Rare, Used and Out-of-Print Books" site. The only reason the Internet was my last stop was that I wanted them NOW, not after having to wait for them to ship!

The only thing I haven't liked about the story (besides Jack being "attached" <wink>) is that I feel like I walked into the middle of the tale, as it obviously picks straight up from the last book.

The first person POV is a wonderful touch, really getting the reader in touch with Jack. And being a fan of the 1930s & 1940s "The Shadow" pulp fiction stories, I was thrilled to find that the book is set in 1937! Jack even mentions "The Shadow"! In my opinion, that gave Ms. Elrod "bonus points." LOL

I could gush all night, but I'm about a hundred pages from finishing the book, so I gotta go read!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Frenzied action, trailing loose ends, December 13, 2000

By 

Elaina Nader "(Oxley)" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Chill in the Blood (Vampire Files, No. 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have been reading P. N. Elrod vampire novels for around ten years now. The other ones are all wonderful, which is why I was disappointed by this one. Usually Elrod's novels contain many touches of humor and an element of mystery. Chill in the Blood doesn't have much humor and there is no mystery--we know who is trying to kill the hero, Jack, and it's nearly everybody. My favorite part of the book was Jack's stay in a black movie theater and his run-in with the touchy proprietor. The discussions of racial issues between characters in a book set a few years before World War II are fascinating. Unfortunately, Elrod doesn't do anything with them. After being stressed heavily in the first quarter of the book that theme is left behind and never returned to, and trails off as a total loose end. Elrod also plants dark hints about Escott, Jack's sidekick, but holds off on revealing anything until, apparently, the next book. Annoying. On the positive side, the pace is rapid (almost too rapid) and if you are already a fan it will hold your attention well enough. If you're new to this series, DON'T start here! Start with Bloodlist, the first one. You will never figure out who all these people are and what is going on, much less come to care about them. In a frenziedly action-filled story, there isn't time. I agree with the previous reviewer's skepticism about whether there would really be time for so much to happen in a single night. I had the impression Elrod was busy tying off ends from previous novels in order to get them out of the way, and if so the next book, Dark Sleep, is probably better. I hope so. After following Jack's adventures for so long, I'd hate to lose touch with him.;)