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Vampire detective Jack Fleming's latest venture-the Lady Crymsyn nightclub-has become the favorite haunt for Chicago's elite. But amongst his patrons lurk a smarmy blackmailer and a dangerous up-and-coming mobster from New York-both unaware how deadly Jack can be when blood is spilled...Tags
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Readers who can't stand mixed genres -- vampire and noir detective in this case, probably won't want to read this book. I think they'll be missing a good read. I've read a couple of Jack Fleming stories in anthologies, but this is my first Vampire Files novel. This one opens with a scene that would do for the climax of a story, but it's just the beginning for poor Jack. He's up against a society gent whom we would call a serial killer these days. If that's not enough, a big lout from the New York mob has come to Jack's city with ideas Jack doesn't like. Neither do I, for that matter.
Because this is a series, don't expect to have everything resolved in this book. There's action for action fans, detecting for mystery fans, relationships show more for relationship fans, and the wry touch of having a vampire hero who does not want to believe in ghosts. (The resident ghost is not amused.)
I don't know about the other books, but in this one Jack suffers from Wolverine Syndrome. If you're not familiar with that comic book superhero, his mutant powers allow him to heal from injuries that would be fatal to those of us not so blessed, so the writers give his healing factor plenty of work. It is an easy way to show how bad the villain/situation is, after all. There's a scene late in this book that's not for the squeamish. Fortunately for myself, I've read fanfic (not to mention Barbara Hambly and Laurell K. Hamilton). Am I looking forward to reading more of the Vampire Files? Yes. show less
Because this is a series, don't expect to have everything resolved in this book. There's action for action fans, detecting for mystery fans, relationships show more for relationship fans, and the wry touch of having a vampire hero who does not want to believe in ghosts. (The resident ghost is not amused.)
I don't know about the other books, but in this one Jack suffers from Wolverine Syndrome. If you're not familiar with that comic book superhero, his mutant powers allow him to heal from injuries that would be fatal to those of us not so blessed, so the writers give his healing factor plenty of work. It is an easy way to show how bad the villain/situation is, after all. There's a scene late in this book that's not for the squeamish. Fortunately for myself, I've read fanfic (not to mention Barbara Hambly and Laurell K. Hamilton). Am I looking forward to reading more of the Vampire Files? Yes. show less
Feels strangely incomplete - the emotional arc may have been completed, but the story arc wasn't. The structure is that of hard-boiled detective stories, yet the "cases" don't get resolved to satisfaction within the book.
Witty and sly, the language fits the setting and genre snugly - no word goes to waste.
Jack Fleming remains charming.
Witty and sly, the language fits the setting and genre snugly - no word goes to waste.
Jack Fleming remains charming.
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Author Information
55+ Works 12,151 Members
Patricia Nead Elrod is a interesting woman who took her three favorite subjects (Vampire stories, gangster films, and pulp magazines) and combined them into one. The unique style of this award winning author, she has published over 20 novels in her literary career. As a resident of Texas, she lives with her dogs, books and TARDIS. (Bowker Author show more Biography) show less
Series
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Cold Streets
- Original publication date
- 2003-01-07; 2004 -01 (paperback edition) (paperback edition)
- People/Characters
- Jack Fleming (vampire, detective, nightclub owner); Charles W. Escott (detective, Jack's partner); Vivian Gladwell (rich widow, Sarah's mother); Sarah Gladwell (kidnapping victim); Bobbi Smythe; Myrna (Lady Crymsyn Nightclub's resident ghost) (show all 17); Adelle Taylor (Lady Crymsyn singer, Gordy's moll); Gordy Weems (owner of the Nightcrawler nightclub, a mobster); Faustine Petrova (dancer in need of a job); Roland Lambert (Faustine's partner); Hog Bristow (real name: Ignance, NY mobster); Shoe; Hurley Gilbert Dugan (society man & psycho); Strome (one of Gordy's top bodyguards); Lowrey (another of Gordy's top bodyguards); Anthony Brockhurst (Dugan's distant cousin); Marie Kennard (Dugan's girlfriend, poor sap)
- Important places
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- First words
- I remained invisible during the ride to the ransom drop, with no idea where we were beyond the few verbal cues passed to my partner, who was playing chauffeur.
- Quotations
- To go through all that trouble and hazard, he'll be after something. It's one thing to read an ancient report about vampires by Montague Summers or labor through some lurid Byronic-style tale in a dime magazine from a drugsto... (show all)re, but quite another to come face-to-face with the reallity.
[Escott is talking about The Vampire: His Kith and Kin by Montague Summers. If you want to read it, open a window to an online translator at the same time because Summers rarely translated his quotations from their original Latin, Greek, etc.] - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The thin vapor plumed up and vanished into the icy night sky.
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Statistics
- Members
- 293
- Popularity
- 110,244
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.65)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 3
