"Bloodlist" by P. N. Elrod

Great vampire noir. -- 4 Stars (Originally written April 3, 2006)

Since my return to reading, as far as vampire novels are concerned, I've had one hit and one miss: "Pandora's Game" by Christopher Andrews was a big hit, while "Minion" by L. A. Banks was a big miss. I am pleased to say that "Bloodlist" by P. N. Elrod falls closer to the "Pandora's Game" side of the line.

While Andrews gave us a modern day vampire tale with some chapters flashing back to hundreds of years ago, Elrod has given us a vampire tale set against the backdrop of a 1930's noir detective story. Told in first person POV, the main character, Jack Flemming, is technically an out of work reporter, but the mood and plot are handled as though he were Philip Marlow.

Set up as the first in an on going series, "Bloodlist" covers Flemming's rise as a vampire, his exploration of his new found powers, and, with his last few living days missing from his memory, his attempts to solve his own murder. There is a storyline that is part subplot, part back story involving the woman who made him into a vampire, but that gets little attention here.

My only complaint would be in regards to one of the vampire's powers, or limitations. We're shown that crosses, garlic, and bullets do not affect him, while wood, sunlight, and running water do. Now, I've read before about vampires "unable to cross running water" or "being vulnerable to running water." Indeed, in this book, the presence of and proximity to running water is addressed repeatedly (including an unexplained phenomenon where the vampire's presence in a row boat makes it more difficult to row?).

But at the beginning of the book, he awakens having been washed ashore. Wouldn't the large body of moving water, which DOES affect him at other times in the book, have destroyed him even as he was created as a vampire? This element is addressed a LITTLE bit near the end, but for me, it was too little too late by that point, as I had spent too many pages thinking of it as a plot hole.

But otherwise, Elrod handles the story with impressive skill, and I look forward to reading more Jack Flemming books in the future.