From Publishers Weekly
It's still 1937, and he's still in Chicago, but things are looking up for vampire PI Jack Fleming in the eighth installment in this strong series from veteran Elrod (Bloodlist; Lifeblood; etc.). Jack has picked up enough cash to finance his dream: a snazzy nightclub, dubbed Lady Crymsyn, where his chanteuse girlfriend can sparkle and a man can get an honest drink. Complications arise when basement remodeling reveals the remains of a mysterious lady in red who had been handcuffed and walled up while still alive. Jack's sympathies and curiosity are arousedDafter all, he was murdered himself before he turned into a vampireDand he sets out to solve the mystery. This latest adventure plays up the sleuthing more than ever, but with a detective who can use superhypnosis to verify the stories he is told and dematerialize through any locked door, a too-quick solution might be expected. Not so. Mix ruthless gangsters and tough broads with long-standing secrets at stake and things get dangerous even for a vampire. Several sordid pasts, numerous plot twists and even a ghostly presence combine for an only slightly supernatural, but altogether entrancing, who-done-it. (Nov. 7) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Altogether entrancing." (Publishers Weekly)

Vampire P.I. Jack Fleming is back-and he has a lady in red on his mind...

Jack uncovers the body of a good-time girl who went missing six years ago. And since her body was stashed in what is now Jack's club, vampire or not, he won't rest until her murderers are brought to justice...

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

It's still 1937, and he's still in Chicago, but things are looking up for vampire PI Jack Fleming in the eighth installment in this strong series from veteran Elrod (Bloodlist; Lifeblood; etc.). Jack has picked up enough cash to finance his dream: a snazzy nightclub, dubbed Lady Crymsyn, where his chanteuse girlfriend can sparkle and a man can get an honest drink. Complications arise when basement remodeling reveals the remains of a mysterious lady in red who had been handcuffed and walled up while still alive. Jack's sympathies and curiosity are aroused--after all, he was murdered himself before he turned into a vampire--and he sets out to solve the mystery. This latest adventure plays up the sleuthing more than ever, but with a detective who can use superhypnosis to verify the stories he is told and dematerialize through any locked door, a too-quick solution might be expected. Not so. Mix ruthless gangsters and tough broads with long-standing secrets at stake and things get dangerous even for a vampire. Several sordid pasts, numerous plot twists and even a ghostly presence combine for an only slightly supernatural, but altogether entrancing, who-done-it. (Nov. 7) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

VOYA

Jack Fleming is a postprohibition Chicago gumshoe who also happens to be a vampire in Elrod's latest addition to the Vampire Files series. Fleming's preternatural abilities help keep him "alive" in a mob-controlled city, especially after he discovers bones walled up in the basement of his new nightclub. Along with his human friends, he tracks down the identity of the remains and solves her murder but not before making some dangerous enemies. Lady Crymsyn is a suspenseful detective story with a little bit of horror. Set in Al Capone's day, the novel explores the seedy underworld of the mob and examines the traditional good-versus-evil conflict with a little twist. The hero of the story normally would be considered evil because he goes against nature and lives on blood, but Fleming is actually a sympathetic character who battles true evil in the story—the amoral mobsters. Although the main character is a vampire, teens looking for a vampire story will not be satisfied with this novel. There is very little vampire angst—Fleming has human friends, enjoys a healthy sex life with his human girlfriend, and drinks animal blood rather than human. His friends know about his "condition" and accept him as he is rather than fear him. Steer teens interested in vampires toward Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Mystery and detective story lovers, however, will enjoy Lady Crymsyn. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2000, Ace, 410p, . Ages 16 to Adult. Reviewer: Jennifer Rice SOURCE: VOYA, April 2001 (Vol. 24, No.1)

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