Customer Reviews

Lifeblood (The Vampire Files series- Book 2)(Library Edition)

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

 

 

Jack Flemming, ace reporter, had the unusual experience of waking up one evening to find that he was dead. Actually, to find out he was UNdead-- apparently his old lover, Maureen, WASN'T kidding when she said she was a vampire!!

In "Bloodlist", the first book of the Vampire Files series, Jack was in the unique position of being able to track down his own murderers while gaining experience in his new "life" (I use the term loosely, here). In the first book he teamed up with an actor-turned-P.I. named Charles, and the two formed a mutually beneficial relationship: Jack's strength, heightened senses and ability to disappear aided Charles's investigations, while Charles had the helpful ability to move freely about in daylight. The pair are back again in the second in the series, "Lifeblood".

This time around Jack is getting more comfortable with his new condition, but is trying to find his lost lover, Maureen, who mysteriously disappeared 5 years ago. The search for her is suddenly complicated by Maureen's estranged (and possibly dangerous) sister and two bumbling-yet-dangerous vampire hunters who think Jack is some hideous creature of the night. Nothing could be farther from the truth as Jack is an extremely likeable character. He does not feed on humans, preferring cattle at the stockyards with occasional horse blood for treat, he has a girlfriend, and he even sends money home to his parents. Jack is the sort of supernatural creature you would actually LIKE to have as a friend.

Set in Chicago towards the end of the Depression when Capone is in jail but crime lords still rule the city, The Vampire Files is a truly wonderful new genre: hardboiled vampire detective fiction. In the style of great detective stories like "Maltese Falcon", there are a lot verbal jabs and wisecracks in addition to sudden plot twists that keep you guessing. The characters are sometimes a little stylized, like film-noir-- Jack's girlfriend is a nightclub singer who used to perform in a gig called The Nightcrawler, and there's of course the big bruiser of a hitman with nerves like taught piano wire-- but this adds to the drama and flavor of the book and makes it more period and believable.

The writing is excellent and the plot clips along at a fast pace that immediately draws in the reader. The story is fun and unusual with a vampire-cum-investigator as its main character, so even if you're not into vamp novels, you are easily drawn in. This is a series of books, and it's best to begin with #1, "Bloodlist" and work your way through the books. You COULD start here with #2, "Lifeblood", but you'd be missing out on a lot of history, characters and insight into Jack himself. Ms. Elrod doesn't spend much time rehashing what has happened before, so someone new to the series picking it up halfway through won't get all the subtle references.

All in all, I really enjoy this series and highly recommend it!!

Second novel in the series about Jack Fleming, PI 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?

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 second book in the series gives us more information about Jack's first love, Maureen, who turned him into a vampire, and who has been missing for several years. We also learn more about Jack's own family. One caution for new readers: if you haven't read the first book in the series, go back and read it - this series pretty much has to be read in order. Unlike many series, the action in each book here is not separated by some unwritten-about period; the action in each book picks up quite soon after the previous book, often as early as the next day - or night. This book has more than one plot going on; besides the search for Maureen, and meeting with an unusual member of her family, there are also a couple of vampire-hunters after Jack. The vampire hunters are a bit two-dimensional, stereotyped characters - a simple minded young bumpkin following an older religious fanatic. Jack is disgusted with how many people seem to buy every word that Bram Stoker wrote. Hey, Jack's a nice guy, not a villain- he calls his mother regularly, sends money home to help his parents out, and does his best to live as normal a life as one of the undead can! When he kills someone in this book, he is worried, because even though the guy deserved killing, and had tried to kill Jack (ha!), Jack doesn't want to become a killer himself. His worries about the ethics of his condition are interesting to follow.

I will never again watch a movie or read a book about hunting down and eradicating vampires in the same way after having become acquainted with Jack Fleming. From now on, I'm rooting for the vampire.

Jack is the ultimate vampire hero; sexy, smart and supernatural. He is a thrill to know.

Elrod's characters are all, as a matter of fact, great to know, even those who you hate. They are well drawn, finely detailed, until they become living breathing people who leave you confused as to whether you've been reading fact or fantasy. She also knows how to bring the time period alive.

Ms. Elrod you have my assurance that as your newest devotee I will be reading, no, devouring your books, one by one and then waiting for new ones to come out.

P. N. Elrod's series "The Vampire Files" kicks into high gear in Book Two, "Lifeblood." Nice guy vampire Jack Fleming is still getting used to being one of the undead, helping his friend Charles Escott with a few investigations and trying to build some sort of happy live with Bobbi Smythe. However, his "life" is suddenly facing a couple of major complications. First, a pair of fairly incompetent but nonetheless deadly vampire hunters are on his trail. They do not know that crosses and silver do not bother our hero, but there is no reason for Jack to tell them that. Second, he has finally had a response from the ads he has been placing for Maureen in newspapers around the country and meets Gaylen Dumont, an old woman who claims to be his beloved Maureen's younger sister. Yes, it seems that Maureen is the vampire who sired Jack, and now Gaylen wants a small favor from our hero.

"Lifeblood" ups the ante a bit from the first book in "The Vampire Files." Elrod has a much better feel for the bad guys (and gals) this time around that she did with the gangsters. The practical side of being a vampire has been pretty much worked out in terms of what parts of what everybody knows about vampires, courtesy of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," are actually true. But what I like is that the practical realities of being a vampire are central to the story Elrod is telling. There is also a harder edge to this story, with the more gruesome elements balancing the comic confrontations a bit more than in the previous volume. It is clear that we are in the beginning of a lengthy tale to be told and I appreciate a writer who wants to take their time in telling their tale well.

In this book, Jack is still searching for the woman who made him a vampire. He finally decides to give up his search, therefore withdrawing his personal ad from the paper. Several people notice, and as a result, he has several vempire slayers on his tail. I won't reveal the ending, but I'll say this: it is a very good book, even for people who are not normally interested in vampires or in mysteries.

Book Review by C. Douglas Baker

I described Elrod's BLOODLIST, Book One of The Vampire Files as "comic book quality action/adventure with a bit of the supernatural thrown in". LIFEBLOOD, Book Two of The Vampire Files, is more of the same. LIFEBLOOD continues the saga of Jack Fleming, former reporter, part-time private detective, full-time vampire.

LIFEBLOOD brings back all the key characters from the previous novel and the story pretty much picks up where BLOODLIST left off. We find Fleming still searching for the elusive Maureen, his lost love. We also discover more of Maureen's past and why she fled from Fleming in New York. Jack meets Maureen's sister, now a gnarled and bitter old woman, after she responds to his advertisement in the personal column. This meeting marks the beginning of a life and death struggle for Jack. He is chased by two comical and inept vampire hunters who Fleming, not always so swift himself, easily dupes. But he also runs into a more diabolical and intelligent foe who nearly kills him.

LIFEBLOOD is actually better than the first novel because it is much funnier and the plot is less thin. Escott plays a key role in his investigation of Maureen's past and once again has to save Fleming's vampiric hide (which I guess is kind of a spoiler but you knew he would pull through, right?). Elrod again does a nice job of providing humor and creating entertaining characters. And Fleming continues to have an unfortunate proclivity for getting shot in the head or otherwise severely mangled. It all makes for good if not clean (blood stains) fun.

This second installment by PN Elrod continues the story of an Ace Reporter turned Vampire. When his girlfriend is held hostage, watch out.

But enough about the plot, which is pulp in the finest sense. The real reason to buy and savor this book is because it is a classic. PN Elrod's easy noir narration and stunning though sparce imagery set it apart from lesser novels. But more importantly this novel, though set in an earlier, gangster era, came out in the early nineties about the time when fantasy started modernizing from medieval to contemporary times, making this one of the series that spawned the birth of what we now call the urban fantasy genre.

It's also a fun read.

The second story, "Lifeblood", takes place just a few weeks after the first story finishes. Jack and Bobbi have settled into some kind of a relationship and Jack also spends some of his time helping Escott with his private investigations. However they soon decide that it would be wise for Jack to have some more of his home earth stored at Escott's place in case he has a problem with returning to his hotel room so Jack drives 'home' to Ohio to collect it. On the way he realises he is being followed and eventually has a showdown with the two people in the car - vampire hunters. They're obviously both rather loony and have read far too many vampire novels, thinking that they are safe from Jack with their garlic and crosses. He gives them a flat tyre and then continues on his way.

Once he's collected the earth he passes his parents' house to find the vampire hunters are there. He chases them off, then returns to Chicago but worried about his parents. Unfortunately he hasn't completely escaped the vampire hunters and they start to plague him in Chicago; he's worried about Bobbi and whether they will go after her. His attention is also taken by an old woman, Gaylen Dumont, who has responded to his adverts in the papers asking for Maureen to contact him (Maureen is his lost love and the vampire who made him). Gaylen is Maureen's sister, now 74 years old, and she gives Escott some information which might help him to find Maureen. However there's more to Gaylen than Jack initially realises and more danger to Bobbi than just from the vampire hunters. Jack is faced with an impossible situation, one that he realises Maureen found herself in, and it's only with the help of Escott his friend that he can survive at all.

This story is more gritty perhaps than the first as we have more emotional engagement from Jack. Being a vampire makes him mostly bombproof but it doesn't mean that he isn't extremely vulnerable because of the friendships he has made and because of his family. The story is always interesting with some great humorous touches and Jack as a character is always very appealing. I found that as a reader I really cared about what happened to him and wanted things to work out well for him. It's a great second book in the series and possibly could be read as a standalone book although it might seem rather complex. The ending leaves the question of Maureen still unresolved and this is dealt with more fully in the third book.

Not as bad as the author's Red Death, but nothing special. It's light reading, but there's a lot better stuff out there. For more comment see my review on Red Death. For better writing and reading try Barbara Hambly (especially Bride of the Rat God), Laurell Hamilton, Tim Powers, Philip Pullman, or numerous others. Sorry Elrod, you may be prolific, but based on these two novels, I can't recommend spending time or money on your books.