Flavoring the hard-boiled detective story with a taste of the supernatural, this is the first book in the highly entertaining Vampire Files series.
"I've always had a weak spot for strange ladies. One very beautiful girl had even warned me that she was—get this—a vampire. But did I listen? No.
"Before you know it, I'm being chased by an ugly thug with a gun, and a bullet blasts its way through my back, and—believe it or not—nothing happened. I survived! How? You guessed it. I, Jack Fleming, ace reporter, have been transformed into a vampire.
"Which has its advantages. You never die, you never grow old, you sleep all day…and best of all, you can hunt down your own murderer."
Being turned into a vampire takes some getting used to, and when an astute private investigator spots Jack during his transition period, he arranges a meeting and recruits him. Working together, they take on the criminal world and set out to catch Jack's killer.
Download and start listening now!
"This was a thumping good noir read, with delightful, down-to-earth characters, wonderful description, and amazing writing. P. N. Elrod has not got the credit she deserves as a wonderful writer. Pick this book up, you will not regret it."
— Leah (5 out of 5 stars)
“Elrod and Whitener take listeners on a fun moonlit ride through the mean streets of old Chicago.”
— Daily Yomiuri“The pace is fast…intriguing…an updated version of the old pulp novels.”
— Science Fiction Review“An entertaining blend of the detective story and the supernatural.”
— Science Fiction Chronicle“Four stars…a lot of fun.”
— Rave Reviews" it was pretty straightforward, no real twist at the end. I don't like that he just accepted his newly dead status. /shrug i know these are supposed to be some huge series, but i won't be reading anymore (i listened to an audiobook, loved the narrator, very Noir, and sounded like Cas from Supernatural!) "
— Paula, 2/4/2014" Having a very hard time reading this book. Too plodding. It should be interesting, but everything is a discussion with little action. "
— Patricia, 1/25/2014" You know, I tried really, really hard to like this book. It didn't happen. From the "I'm bored even thought it's happening to me" tone to the "hey, would you look at that, I've a giant hole in me. Huh, whaddaya know?" bit... I just couldn't get into it. "
— Ambyr, 1/21/2014" It was too slow for me, which made it hard to get threw. "
— Kaira, 1/20/2014" Interesting idea for a book in theory but the plot moved so slowly & the characters were so slow to react that I forced myself to listen to this book until the end. I am not one to abandon books ;) "
— Nicole, 1/10/2014" A supernatural detective novel? Yes, please. "
— Fran, 1/5/2014" Really clever combination of 20s gangster mystery and paranormal fiction "
— Kendra, 12/18/2013" A pretty traditional 1930s-era crime novel, with the twist that the protagonist is a vampire. "
— Stacy, 12/10/2013" Pretty good listen and I'm intrigued. I'll probably check out the next in the series. "
— Eileen, 12/1/2013" Really much more a PI story than vampire fiction. But I guess some people like it... "
— Titus, 11/29/2013" Not the best vampire novel i've ever read, but certainly good. Original plot and liked the setting in the 30s, it added a different concept to it. "
— Tera, 11/24/2013" My local library is short on PN Elrod books. They only offer this on as an audiobook. I liked it as such. "
— Veronica, 11/21/2013" fun read for mystery/vampire genre "
— Juanita, 11/16/2013" Fast read, thin book, fun story as is the whole series. "
— Arctic, 6/13/2013" Ms. Elrod, you were one of the first...and still one of the best urban fantastists. Ate this series like candy. "
— Arlene, 5/22/2013" one of the best Vampire series with great characters, Elrod is a great storyteller. "
— Fester, 4/8/2013" So-so, I listed to the audio version, very droning. "
— BJ, 3/27/2013" What a delightful find - I enjoyed this book immensely. A great addition to the genre. "
— Dalton, 12/19/2012" A good detective and vampire - what more could you ask for? "
— Peggy, 9/14/2012" Finished the last of many books in the series and have enjoyed the characters and the 1930's gangster setting.A bit of a light read, but liked the characters. "
— Zelda, 9/8/2012" I believe i have discovered a new series to read! "
— Amy, 4/28/2012" This audio book was a little stilted at times. The story was a little cliche but good. "
— Dana, 4/5/2012" Not bad for a first in series. Bloodlist had a Chicago-1920's-mobster feel, and was much more plot driven rather than emotionally driven, which was a fresh change for me in this genre. There were some long moments, but the ending was great. "
— Elizabeth, 1/25/2012" I really like this book as well. It is more of a detective type story with the main character waking up as a vampire. He searches how he became that way and who killed him. "
— Susan, 12/2/2011" Vampires - good. Detectives - good.Vampire detective? Awesome! "
— Rick, 9/15/2011" Vampire P.I.? Gangsters? Nightclub singers? YES PLEASE. "
— Guin, 5/5/2011" Noir Vampires how could it be boring? Slow pacing, too much detail about things that do not add to atmosphere which is required for both noir and vampire. "
— James, 2/19/2011" Excellent book. Chock full of humor, adventure, romance, and awesomeness. "
— Jonaht, 12/13/2010" Chandleresque hard-boiled detective fiction meets vampires. The combination actually works pretty well. "
— Trish, 9/18/2009" A completely different take on the vampire genre - but good mystery reads nonetheless. "
— Heather, 8/4/2009" It was good but not what I was in the mood for. The stories are set during the depression and are basically noir mysteries that happen to have a vampire protagonist. No romance to speak of, very little humor, solid mysteries but just not my style these days. "
— Cathy, 5/9/2009" A vampire P.I. in 1930's Chicago. How much more fun can you get than that? "
— Laura, 4/4/2009" This is a pretty clever concept. They're not particularly scary, but are quite enjoyable. "
— Julie, 9/10/2008Patricia Nead Elrod began her writing career doing gaming modules for the company that created “Dungeons & Dragons.” A lifelong fan of vampire stories, gangster films, and pulp magazines, she is the author of numerous books including the Vampire Files and the Gentleman Vampire series. She lives in Texas with her dogs and books.
Barrett Whitener has been narrating audiobooks since 1992. His recordings have won several awards, including the prestigious Audie Award and numerous Earphones Awards. AudioFile magazine has named him one of the Best Voices of the Century.