From Publishers Weekly
Amateur sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones, who has appeared in short stories by Edgar-nominee and Agatha-winner James (Closer than the Bones), is sure to revolutionize the traditional British cozy and win the hearts of fans everywhere in his first full-length mystery. Simon is not only American and gay but also a vampire whose sun sensitivity and blood sucking urges are controlled by medication. (Garlic, though, can be deadly.) Thrilled to be living in England, he is eager to make the village of Snupperton Mumsley his home, where he plans to write more of his well-known historical works and lucrative pot-boilers. Seeking to become part of the community, Simon joins the fundraising committee of St. Ethelwold's, the local church. At the first meeting an argument erupts between Lady Prunella Blitherington, matriarch of the village's first family, and Abigail Winterton, the town busybody and postmistress, about the choice of the play to be presented as the fundraiser. When Abigail, disliked by almost everyone, is found murdered the next day, Simon determines to find her killer and in so doing discovers all the sordid secrets of Snupperton Mumsley. Quirky villagers, quaint cottages and an intriguing mystery told in the voice of a highly unusual protagonist with a rapier wit combine for a delightful reading experience. While Simon's vampire blood may run cold, he is warm and human. This light-hearted series debut makes one glad vampires can live forever. Agent, Nancy Yost. (Apr. 9)Forecast: Blurbs from such cozy mavens as Dorothy Cannell and Laurien Berenson, plus the author's status as manager of Houston's Murder by the Book, one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery bookstores, should ensure a healthy start. Too wholesome for horror fans, the novel should also find an audience among gay readers with a sense of humor.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Posted to Death: A Simon Kirby-Jones Mystery FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Amateur sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones, who has appeared in short stories by Edgar-nominee and Agatha-winner James (Closer than the Bones), is sure to revolutionize the traditional British cozy and win the hearts of fans everywhere in his first full-length mystery. Simon is not only American and gay but also a vampire whose sun sensitivity and blood sucking urges are controlled by medication. (Garlic, though, can be deadly.) Thrilled to be living in England, he is eager to make the village of Snupperton Mumsley his home, where he plans to write more of his well-known historical works and lucrative pot-boilers. Seeking to become part of the community, Simon joins the fundraising committee of St. Ethelwold's, the local church. At the first meeting an argument erupts between Lady Prunella Blitherington, matriarch of the village's first family, and Abigail Winterton, the town busybody and postmistress, about the choice of the play to be presented as the fundraiser. When Abigail, disliked by almost everyone, is found murdered the next day, Simon determines to find her killer and in so doing discovers all the sordid secrets of Snupperton Mumsley. Quirky villagers, quaint cottages and an intriguing mystery told in the voice of a highly unusual protagonist with a rapier wit combine for a delightful reading experience. While Simon's vampire blood may run cold, he is warm and human. This light-hearted series debut makes one glad vampires can live forever. Agent, Nancy Yost. (Apr. 9) Forecast: Blurbs from such cozy mavens as Dorothy Cannell and Laurien Berenson, plus the author's status as manager of Houston's Murder by the Book, one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery bookstores, should ensure a healthy start. Too wholesome for horror fans, the novel should also find an audience among gay readers with a sense of humor. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Popular author Simon Kirby-Jones gets more than he bargained for when he moves to the quaint British village of Snupperton Mumsley . . . and so does the village, even though as a gay vampire, Simon might seem to fit right into Snupperton Mumsley, which brims with scandal, gossip-mongering, back-stabbing, and-fortunately for Simon-dishy men. He divides his drooling between tweedy vicar Neville Butler-Melville, rugged bookstore owner Trevor Chase, and Byronic aristocrat Giles Blitherington. All reciprocate to varying degrees. Another stroke of luck is meeting fellow vampire Jane Hamilton, who becomes Simon's confidante and, later, Watson to his Holmes. All five belong to the Snupperton Mumsley Amateur Dramatic Society (SMADS), whose meetings inevitably devolve into showdowns between Giles's mother Lady Prunella Blitherington, the village Lady Bracknell, and horse-faced Abigail Winterton, the local postmistress whose job gives her access to everybody's dirty little secrets. Other SMADS members include crusty Colonel Clitheroe, Trevor's colorless wife Letty, and randy Samantha Stevens. When Lady Prunella proposes the staging of a new play by Giles as a fundraiser, Abigail trumps her with the promise of an explosive new drama, written by a local and sure to shock everyone in the village. The next day, Abigail is found strangled. Simon can't resist solving the crime. Oddly, Simon's vampirism figures not at all and his gayness very little in the one-dimensional plot. The character names in James's first novel, written with clunky good cheer, give an accurate indication of its comic sensibility. This is not no much a spoof as a poor imitation.
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