Faked to Death (Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Dean James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004 | Series: Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries

It's Simon's esteemed reputation as an auteur that brings him to the attention of Lady Hermione Kinsale. She needs another speaker for her week-long writers' workshop. But much to Simon's surprise-and chagrin - best selling mystery author Dorinda Darlington appears on the list of attendees. Simon knows first-hand how the reclusive author values her privacy...because Simon is Dorinda. The blatant impersonation has raised his hackles - and Simon's fit to kill. But someone beats him to the punch. "Dorinda" is found dead, flattened by a stone urn pushed from the terrace. Now, cloistered with a killer, Simon tunes his heightened senses to the movements of his fellow authors. And as the workshop develops into a tension convention, Simon grows more determined to take a bite out of crime - before bloody murder claims another victim.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In last year's well-received Posted to Death, James introduced a unique amateur sleuth: Simon Kirby-Jones, a respected historian and mystery author (under female pseudonyms), an American living his dream in a cozy English village-and a gay vampire, who controls his vampirism by popping pills. The fun continues as Simon, along with his adoring young aide, Sir Giles, attends a crime writer's conference at Kinsale House presided over by its domineering chatelaine, Lady Hermione. To his astonishment, Simon discovers that the featured speaker purports to be one of his nom de plumes, Dorinda Darlington. The thoroughly nasty literary agent shared by all should be the murderer's object, but she has too much on her clients, and it's the Dorinda imposter who ends up squashed by a stone urn pushed from the terrace. The often flippant humor, overdone British slang and superior posturings of the book's self-absorbed detective may not be to every taste, but fully developed characters and a well-designed plot amply compensate.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A fun book that will give readers hours of enjoyment."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575668882
• ISBN-13: 978-1575668888
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unique, biting and endearing satirical mystery, April 12, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faked To Death: A Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery (James, Dean, Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery.) (Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The villagers of Snupperton Mumsley are happy to welcome American Southern born and bred best-selling author Simon Kirby-Jones into their English midst. Simon is elated to be away from the States and the break up with his boyfriend especially now that he has as his assistant the gorgeous Sir Giles Blitherton, who is just waiting to jump his bones. The only thing holding him back from getting romantically involved with anyone is the fact that he is a vampire and is afraid to trust Giles with his secret.

As long as Simon takes his medication three times a day he can pass for human, which enables him to walk in the sunlight and be active in the daytime. He accepts an invitation from Lady Hermione Kinsale to appear at a writer's workshop but he's outraged to learn that mystery author Dorinda Darlington is also appearing. Simon knows she's a fake because he is Dorinda and he's absolutely livid that his agent who is also at the conference arranged this publicity stunt. When the fake Dorinda is murdered, Simon deduces that one of blackmailed authors killed her. He investigates because he's nosy.

The protagonist is a drama queen with a biting sense of humor. He is also a vampire who has few traditional powers (the side effect of the medication he uses) so he must solve the who-done-it by using his wits of which he has many. The mystery is well plotted and there are many suspects who could be the killer so the readers are able to like this delightful cozy with a supernatural twist. FAKED TO DEATH is a unique, refreshing and totally endearing satirical mystery.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great premise, February 24, 2004

By 

John Speer (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faked to Death (Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read both of the books, and am looking forward to the next one. I especially liked the introduction of his concern that he would be "outed" by not dying in an otherwise fatal accident.

I agree that the series cannot go on much longer with Giles' knowing the truth. Although he may not consciously speculate on some odd aspects of Simon's life, the clues must be racking up sub-consciously.

At this point, their relationship needs some sort of resolution; more of Giles throwing himself at an unwilling Simon will probably turn me off the series for good. It gets too emotionally masochistic/dysfunctional.

That leads to ... Simon's sex life. Or lack thereof. He may not need food, but his hormones seem to be raging along just fine to me. He's been celibate since arriving in the U.K.?

One last thing: do we really need to be reminded of his taking his pills? Those mentionings take me out of the story gratuitously - and annoyingly! I'd like to know what happens if he stops taking them? Perhaps he could misplace some? Or be burgled and have the thief steal them thinking they have a street value of some sort? Perhaps that would cause him to need to turn to someone? Enter Giles!

Simon can be insufferable, but he's never mean or cruel. He fits in well with all of the other abursurdist characters in his world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant but Predictable, June 24, 2003

By 

Josh Aterovis (Baltimore, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faked To Death: A Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery (James, Dean, Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery.) (Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Jumping directly into the second book in a series without having read the first can sometimes be a handicap. In FAKED TO DEATH, the second book in the Simon Kirby-Jones mystery series, the author Dean James quickly and efficiently deals with the salient plot points in the first three paragraphs.

"Being dead has its advantages.
"I get much more writing done now that I'm a vampire. When one has not one but two yearly best-sellers to produce, it's just as well that three hours' rest per night is sufficient.
"The world of popular fiction knows me as Daphne Deepwood (historical romance) and Dorinda Darlington (hard-boiled female private-eye novels). Little do my devoted readers suspect that Daphne-Dorinda is really Simon Kirby-Jones, respected historian, author of acclaimed biographies of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart. Nor do they suspect I'm a vampire. And gay."

James has written a throwback to the old English cozy mystery perfected by Agatha Christie, except he adds an original twist. Instead of Miss Marple, we get Simon Kirby-Jones, a gay vampire from the American South who now lives in a small town in England. It's an idea that could have made for an interestingly unique touch. Unfortunately, James didn't deviate much from the formula.

When Simon is invited to a Writers Conference as himself, he's very surprised to find that his alter ego Dorinda Darlington is scheduled to appear as well. The phony Dorinda quickly insults everyone at the conference - held of course, at a secluded English manor - so it's no surprise when she ends up dead. Predictably, the police ask everyone to stay at the manor overnight and, not surprisingly, someone else ends up dead.

Simon, who just like amateur sleuths the world over (alive or dead), can't seem to keep his nose out of police business, investigates and figures things out before the police do. I had the mystery figured out long before the big denouement, although for a while I thought James was not only going to follow formula to a tee, but was actually going to steal one of Christie's most famous plot-twists. Thankfully, he didn't go quite that far.

Despite the predictability of the book, I did enjoy James' writing style. Simon Kirby-Jones is a likeable protagonist, even if he does tend to be a bit insufferable at times. Still, I expected more from the premise than was actually delivered. A good beach read if all you want to do is escape with a bit of fluff.