From Amazon.com
Jack Fleming is one hell of a lucky guy for a dead man. As Elrod's eighth entry in the Chandleresque
Vampire Files series opens, Fleming's got some mob money that nobody's missing; his gorgeous girlfriend, Bobbi, headlines a new revue that could lead to stardom; and his partner, the P.I. Charles Escott, has what looks like a simple, profitable case. Miss Sommerfield, a saltine-cracker heiress, wants some papers retrieved from a former boyfriend. Piece of cake, when your partner is a vampire.
But Escott won't let Jack do it the easy way. He seems to court danger. He's also secretive about his past, though it keeps him awake at night. Jack's worried about him but distracted by popular radio personality, Archy Grant, who's offering Bobbi more than just an appearance on his show. Archy's not above using mob connections get Jack out of the way. The heiress's former boyfriend wants the papers back, and he's got a gun. Soon bullets are flying, Escott's in mortal danger and seems to be unraveling, and Jack's out for blood--as soon as he can figure out whose.
The Dark Sleep will give fans new insights into Jack, Bobbi, and Escott, along with plenty of action. If you like your detectives hard-boiled and your vampire heroic, this is the series for you. --Nona Vero
From Publishers Weekly
Times are tough in gangster-run 1937 Chicago, but for Jack Fleming, newsman turned vampire-hardboiled detective, lifeAor rather deathAcouldn't be better. In this latest entry in the Vampire Files (after A Chill in the Blood), vampirism's slight inconveniences (having to drink blood from cows at the stockyards, going comatose at dawn, etc.) are far outweighed by its blessings (invisibility, near immortality and so on). Jack's got a great girlfriendAplatinum blonde singer/dancer bombshell Bobbi Smythe, who's opening in a new revue at the Nightcrawler ClubAprotection from the mob and a tidy nest egg with which he hopes to launch his own nightclub. Jack's human partner, however, dapper Brit and former thespian Charles Escott, isn't faring as well. He's mysteriously troubled and going without sleep, although insomnia doesn't prevent him from taking on a case involving retrieving mysterious papers for a saltine-cracker heiress recently engaged to a European prince. Jack's on the case, too, but work takes second place to supporting Bobbi's bid for stardom. Somehow the plot twists into a dark, dangerous journey into Escott's past and the source of his troubled dreams, and only Jack and Escott's longtime pal Shoe Coldfield can save him. Winning characterizations and enough period detail for flavor enhance a clever and fast-paced detective story. Readers acquainted with the series will be particularly pleased to discover more about Escott's background and his connection to Coldfield. New readers will enjoy this one on its own, and gain a taste for earlier (and future) drafts from the same vein.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
