The Vampire Files: Volume One

I read all three stories one right after another. So, I'm reviewing all three stories at the same time. Also, because I read it all at one time, it feels like one big story, rather than three separate stories.

Now, the review. The series is a more a mystery novel than a vampire story. The vampires are more sedate, more human than the vampires of 2010 - yes, they need blood, have super human strength, can turn into mist, and hypnotize humans. But, they also fall in love, consider them selves humans, have normal human emotions. Also, even though they have super strength and super senses, there is a limit to what they can do, and a normal human armed with the right tools can easily take out a vampire.

Where the book falls flat is in that I found myself wishing for more passion - the author was going for a 1930's style detective story, and succeeds. But I found the characters to be a bit stereotypical, even though the author makes an effort to add a bit of depth. I especially found the character of Charles Escott, P.I. to be grating. This guy, while human, is more devious than the vampire. Plus the P.I. ran the show, with Jack (the Vampire) just following along, even in his own case.

Its a well written mystery, but as a vampire novel, it misses the point. I enjoyed reading it, but by the end, found the storyline and characters to be a bit tedious. ( )

This is a trilogy of books, Bloodlist, Lifeblood and Bloodcircle, there is a story arc linking the three and they're actually quite short, the entire set is 452 pages. While short they pack a lot into a few stories.

It's the story of Jack Fleming, a former reporter, now a vampire after an assignation with Maureen. He finds himself with some limitations and with some advantages in this new world. It's the late 1930's and he has friends who help and enemies who are both his own and those of his kind. P N Elrond uses the legends well and creates quite a believeable character who is both likeable and interesting without being so powerful that any peril is trivial. ( )

Really not my cup of tea. Contains first 3 books in Elrod's series, and it gets repetitive quickly. ( )