Detective & Sherlock Holmes (38)

Scroll down for Sherlock Holmes vampire books

 

Detective


 
2001

 
Narcissus in Chains ** -- by Laurell K Hamilton, Anita Blake series #10: Tenth in the series! I bought this out of habit in the middle of a trans-continental move. It's okay, but it really is about time this series was wound up. See 1) Guilty Pleasures (below).

 
2000

 
Obsidian Butterfly *** -- by Laurell K Hamilton, Anita Blake series #9: As tends to happen in a long series, this book is largely devoted to developing a secondary character. Fortunately, steely, cold and relentlessly unheroic… Edward is worth it.

 
Worse than Death ** -- by Sherry Gottlieb, #2: In part one the detective ended up going off with the vampire. In this sequel he adjusts to his new life. Amusing, rather sordidly realistic, but not as good as 1) Love Bite (below).

 
1999

 
Vampires of Vermont * -- by Mark Sumner, #4: A series on a journo for a supermarket tabloid, who comes across a range of bizarre stuff. Satisfying in that the vampires turn out to have a logical explanation - otherwise a fairly pallid supermarket pulp book loosely in the vein of Laurell K. Hamilton.

 
1997

 
Forever Knight: Imitations of Mortality ** -- by Susan M Garrett: A reasonably entertaining novel based on the TV show of Nick knight, the vampire cop.

 
1991

 
Fire in the Blood ** -- PN Elrod, The Vampire Files #11: A fairly routine edition to a generally top notch series. Vamps, vampires and stolen jewels, very noir.

 
undated

 
The Dracula Murders * -- by Philip Daniels: An okay cop story about a murder that looks like it might have been done by a vampire, and it turns out it was. Typical evil vampire bad-ghoul (ho hum). I don't know what happened to the paper back edition of this but amazon has the following....

 
ELROD, P N--The Vampire Files
1)Bloodlust *****: A good series that starts well. Unusually competent telling of 'fledging'. Overall 30's noir tone with a lot of humor thrown in.
2)Lifeblood ****: The first one I read in this series (stuck in an airport, I was very pleased to find something other than Crichton/Grisham et al). Still my favorite - very good humorous scenes with vamp hunters.
3)Bloodcircle **: Pretty good. Didn't seem to be much new happen in this book... is it just me or do most series seem to wind down after the first two or three? Still readable.
8)Lady Crymsyn *: The series is getting a bit...um, long in the tooth. But Jack is a great guy to visit.
9)The Dark Sleep **: The 'girlfriend' and 'business partner' supporting characters get a bit of development as bullets fly.
Also "Art in the Blood", "Fire in the Blood", "Blood on the Water" and others that I will review at some point.

 
Love Bite *** -- by Sherry Gottleib: I liked this book. Jace Levy is a cop on a weird case, who is neither too quick, nor too slow, to work out that a vampire is responsible. Then he makes a very interesting decision that quite DEMANDS a sequel (and got one in 'Worse than Death, 2000).

 
HAMILTON, LAURELL K.--Anita Blake series
1)Guilty Pleasures *****
Anita Blake put the 'F' in feisty. Sexual tension with Jean-Claude. High action page turner.
2)The Laughing Corpse *****
3)Circus of the Damned ***
The bad guys get badder and so does Anita
4)The Lunatic Cafe *
Enter some sexy vampire action (too sexy? Is that possible or am I just a prude?)
5)Bloody Bones *
6)The Killing Dance *
Everything is getting a bit "too", especially Anita (too powerful - where is Godzilla when you need her?)
7)Burnt Offerings *
She finally sleeps with the vamp - serious slayer-angst, but not as sexy as I could have hoped. (There's no pleasing me). Action plot involves some-one targeting vamps with arson attacks.
8)Blue Moon **
Anita's whole 'sexiness' thing still annoys me, but it seems like that's going to change. The continuity of the characters keeps me reading.
...and others -- I am a bit behind on this series!

 
HUFF, TANIA
1)Blood Price *
First in the "Blood Something" series. Woman PI teams up with male vamp to defeat demon. Professionally done, if not gripping. Central tension is between Fitzroy and Vicki's boyfriend, cop Mike. Also Mike trying to get Vicki to rejoin the force.
5)Blood Debt *
So I read them out of order, sue me. Vicki has got turned some-where along the way. Interesting plot involving a guessing game with a deadly ghost and the two pyres trying (against all instinct) to cohabit in the same territory. Nice to see that Vicki has stuck with Mike.
...and others.

 
Bloodlinks **** -- Lee Killough
Vampire cop Gareth Mikaelin deals with the apparent return of the evil vamp who turned him. Complicated by the fact he thought he had killed her in the first book. Great scene where his ex-partners, new partner, confronts him about his 'anorexia'. I will be trying to track down the first in the series.

 
Rulers of Darkness ** -- Steven Sprull, #2: Started with "Daughter of Darkness". Rather nice a cop who is a vamp, and a ex-girlfriend who is a hematologist (how's that for irony). Pretty standard fare but readable.

 

 

Sherlock Holmes

2000
  • VEINGLORY, Emily--Selfish Acts (adult short story in the small press anthology "Dark Fantasies #7") [ADULT] A very dark, homoerotic story of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula.
1997
  • RICHARDS, Kel--The Vampire Serpent (Novel) part 3 in the the Sherlock Holmes Tales of Terror Series: I've not read it yet.
1995
  • DAVIES, Stuart--The Tangled Skein (Novel): not read
  • RESNICK, Laura--The Adventure of the Missing Coffin (Short Story in 'Sherlock Holmes in Orbit' edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg) *
  • DOUGLAS, Carole Nelson--Dracula on the Rocks (Short Story in 'Celebrity Vampires' edited by Martin H. Greenberg) *: This story actually features Irene Adler and neither Holmes nor Watson appear. It's interesting and almost clever (OK - faint praise)
1994
  • SABERHAGEN, Fred--Seance for a Vampire (Novel) *: Part 8(!) in the Holmes-Dracula series. Holmes is kidnapped by vamps, Watson and Holmes' cousin Dracula comes to the rescue.
1993
  • ZELANZY, Roger--A Night in Lonesome October (Novel) : not read
1988
  • POWELL, Martin & MAKINEN, Seppo--Scarlet in Gaslight (Graphic Novel) **: [ADULT]The art is mediocre but the story is OK and some of the moments are brilliant. I especially like a scene where Holmes has gone into shock after realizing vampires are real. Watson grumbles about how hard he is to sedate because of the effect of other self-administered drugs.
1978
  • ESTLEMAN, Loren--The Tale of the Sanguinary Count aka 'Sherlock Holmes and Dracula' (Novel) : not read but my local public library has it! I must go and reserve it...
undated
  • WATERS, T A--The Probability Pad (Novel)
  • Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula (radio show)
  • The Adventure of the Carpathian Horror (audiobook): featuring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce
  • HOLLAND, Tom--Supping with Panthers" aka 'Slave to My Thirst' (Novel) ****: Great Sherlock Holmes, fine Victorian tone in London and India RECOMMENDED.