- Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Ace (MM); Reprint edition (Jan 17 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0441008739
- ISBN-13: 978-0441008735
- Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 10.6 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 195 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#542,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #84 in Books > Horror > Dark Fantasy
- #88 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Dark Fantasy
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Product Details |
Product Description
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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
Spiked with "a flavor of the supernatural" (Science Fiction Chronicle), P. N. Elrod's series, The Vampire Files, goes one step beyond detective noir. Its hero is Jack Fleming, a private detective on the right side of the law-but on the wrong side of the living-in post-prohibition Chicago. This vampire-turned-gumshoe will take on mobsters, monsters, and everything in between. Now, in Lady Crymsyn, Fleming tries to find a good-time girl gone bad, who may have been the victim of a premature burial...
Praise for The Vampire Files series:
"Elrod's treatment of the practical aspects of vampirism is clever and refreshing."-Booklist
"Echoes of Hammett and Chandler abound...an entertaining exercise in supernatural noir."-Publishers Weekly
"Plenty of action, full of twists and betrayals, and the quirky characters and many touches of period flavor keep things amusing."-Locus
"Snappy vampire-with-a-conscience yarn, laced with blackish humor."-Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Praise for The Vampire Files series:
"Elrod's treatment of the practical aspects of vampirism is clever and refreshing."-Booklist
"Echoes of Hammett and Chandler abound...an entertaining exercise in supernatural noir."-Publishers Weekly
"Plenty of action, full of twists and betrayals, and the quirky characters and many touches of period flavor keep things amusing."-Locus
"Snappy vampire-with-a-conscience yarn, laced with blackish humor."-Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Character development more interesting than plot.,
By K. Wallace (Bedford, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lady Crymsyn (Mass Market Paperback)
Like the rest of the books in this series, "Lady Crymsyn" was written in a unique style of writing that evokes a person from the 1920s speaking directly to the reader. As usual, the main character Jack- a former reporter turned vampire and private detective- has to solve a mystery, in this case who killed the woman found walled up in the basement of his new nightclub.However, this book is different from previous books in some key ways. The main character, Jack, is changing. He does a few things in this story that he would never have done a few books back, and at times I wanted to whack him for being stupid and immoral at the same time. The changes are subtle, though, and Jack is still usually a good person. Although I enjoyed the book less because of the changes in Jack, I can not rate it poorly because it is clear that this is simply the author's decision, and the writing is nonetheless excellent. Personally, I was not very interested in the plot of this book. The complex, twisting plot did not hold my attention as much as it could have. Also, the story was darker than previous tales, and I found the ending rather depressing. I was pleased that mob boss Gordy was featured in this book, althought unfortunately Shoe Coldfield made only a few brief appearances. All in all, it was an entertaining book, worth the [money]. Despite the darker aspects of the book, it had many humorous moments as well. And it is a sign of a healthy book series when the characters change, rather than becoming fossilized in recycled plots. I recommend this book highly, and only gave it 4 stars because at times the plot seemed a little convoluted and in one scene I thought that the author was trying a little too hard to make Jack seem like a good person.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Fine Effort by Elrod,
By
This review is from: Lady Crymsyn (Hardcover)
It's been interesting watching P.N. Elrod grow as a writer. The first six books of her Vampire Files were decent, but quickly fell into formulaic and uninspired writing. With A DARK SLEEP, and now LADY CRYMSYN, she has produced two first rate mysteries, with familiar, comfortable, and interesting characters that follower's of the series will relish.In LADY CRYMSYN we find Jack Fleming - vampire, nightclub owner thrown into a mystery when he finds the remains of a woman who has been walled up in the basement of his nightclub. There are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises along the way. Thumbs up.
5.0 out of 5 stars
gumshoes in the supernatural,
By
This review is from: Lady Crymsyn (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the eighth in Elrod's Vampire Files series. Like all the others, it is a very good and very quick read. The hero is a mild-mannered reporter turned private investigator in post-Prohibition Chicago. And, oh by the way, he's a vampire.I really enjoy this series. The characters are believable, the plot is engaging and the style is right out of the old gumshoe pulps. To me, the best part of the series is that the hero's vampirism is almost an afterthought. He has real ambitions and real concerns. And some supernatural abilities (and limitations) that both help and hinder him. If you like the old detective magazines, you'll love this twist.
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