Customer Reviews (12)

Supreme reading, with just a pinch of naughtiness
Ah, Mr. Dean James has done it yet again.With frightfully proper English means and manners, he has given us a wonderfully crafted murder mystery romp with all the trappings...and some vampires thrown in for good measure.

The story is an incredibly fast read; so much so, that you'll probably want to reread it as soon as you're done, just for the fun of it. (I know I did.)Honestly, with its spendid imagery and penchant for detail, I was hoping that it would take a lot longer to go through, but no matter what the length, the story satisfies most completely.

Will there be more adventures in store for our hero, Simon Kirby-Jones?

There had better be.The world needs more delightful characters like Simon.Are you listening Mr. James?

If you are, then 'thank you' for giving us Simon and all his cohorts and cronies.

To everyone out there reading this...do more reading.I suggest starting with every one of Mr. James' Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries.Write-On Mr. James!

love hurts
In this fourth episode of his series Mr James ties all the lose ends.

Simon faces both his former vampire lover and his new human one and has to make his decision. I will not spoil the fun for you of course by telling but I will reveal that Simon decides and his readers should now wonder what will happen in the next episode now that all the cards have been uncovered and all the tension released.

As far as this novel is concerned though, it is more somber than the previous ones.
There are fewer puns and witticisms, the general atmosphere is more doleful.
The victim is neither innocent nor evil but somewhere inbetween: likeable enough for us to grieve his death and bad enough to understand the reasons of the murderer too.

This approach is far more mature of course, but it could spoil the fun of those expecting a copy of the previous light hearted books.

The emotional climax at the end of the book -where Simon makes his choice- is not well written and I felt disappointed.
Neither was I thrilled by the author's judgemental attitude toward occasional sex.

Continuing Fun !!!
The novels in this series just get to be more and more fun.Dean James has created in Simon Kirby-Jones a remarkably endearing character, given that he is a gay-vampire.Be that as it may, this story, like all the others, pit Simon and his mind against murderers extraordinare.For added fun, Simon has a human love interest.This, like all of the others in this series is formulated on the classic 1930's British murder mystery patterns, complete with proper diction, and formal dialogue.Lots of things are revealed in this particular addition, and one can only guess where the next book will lead.Indeed, the book closes on such a point that Dean James can let the series end, and stillhave solved all of the problems of the major characters.If however, and I sincerely hope he does, he adds another book to the collection, it will be eagerly picked up by this reader.These books are refreshingly campy and deserve your attention.

Simon Kirby-Jones goes medieval
In this fourth installment in Dean James' series of vampire cozies, undead author-cum-amateur sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones goes positively medieval. Simon dons period costume to blend in with the "natives" after a historical reenactment society, the Gesta Angliae Antiquae, sets up camp in Simon's adopted hometown, the quaint English village of Snupperton-Mumsley. When the inevitable murder occurs--Simon is Snupperton-Mumsley's answer to Jessica Fletcher--our protagonist annoys the local constabulary once again by endeavoring to solve the crime himself. The GAA, it turns out, is riven by political rivalries. But is any of the men who would be elected king of this self-important little group power hungry enough to murder for the throne?

More interesting than the mystery in Dean James' latest are the developments in Simon's personal life. Tristan Lovelace, Simon's former advisor and lover and the vampire who brought Simon into the undead fold, arrives eager to win back our hero's affections. But will Simon succumb to Tristan's occasional charms, or will he save himself for local aristocrat Giles Blitherington, Simon's devoted personal assistant?

The Simon Kirby-Jones mysteries are not great literature. James' secondary characters tend to be two-dimensional, and the upper-crusty English cattiness many of them display can become cloying. But the mysteries are decent, and, more importantly, the concept of the books is charming. Though I would that modern-day medical advances hadn't defanged our hero--pills taken twice daily render him nearly human in his appetites--I very much like the idea of a genteel vampire taking a bite out of crime somewhere in the English countryside. James' cozies make for enjoyable light reading.

Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)

For What It Is, It Is Not So Bad
Other readers have slammed this book for being rushed or too light or fake.Well we are not talking Shakespeare here.The book has a nice little plot and all the loose ends get tied up in the end.The characters are whimsical and it was nice to read.The murder was not too horrible and I think the vampire aspect was amusing.This is the sort of book to read before going to bed, to take your mind off your own personal problems and take you out of yourself for a short while, and I found the book relaxing and entertaining.I plan to read other novels by this author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A WORTHY SHOW BIZ BIO

The voice is unmistakable - deep, resonant, compelling, and so are the words of James Earl Jones in the reflective memoir he has penned with Penelope Niven One of the most accomplished actors of our day, he has written an autobiography that is as intriguing as his performances.

Jones's 60 year history begins in rural Mississippi, moves to a farm in Michigan, continues as he struggles to find a place on the stage, and culminates in the theaters of the world.

He tells the story of his life on the professional level, including insights into his marvelous performances in "The Great White Hope," "Othello," and "Fences."He also relates his experiences on a personal level offering comments on his origins in a family of sharecroppers, a mother who abandoned him, his marriages, and his multiracial heritage.

This is also a book about voices.There are the stories he heard his grandparents tell, the sounds of life on hardscrabble land in the south.And, most surprisingly, the voice that enthralls audiences today once stuttered and then fell silent for eight years.Jones was mute from the age of six to 14.Of this experience, he wrote, "Because of my muteness, I approached language in a different way from most actors.I came to language standing on my head, turning words inside out in search of meaning, making a mess of it sometimes, but seeing truth from a very different viewpoint.In those years I spent in virtual silence, I grew a passion for expression."

Express himself he does.Whether written or spoken, the words of James Earl Jones add to the richness of our lives and language.

- Gail Cooke

A wonderful person; a great actor
This book gives wonderful background of the man who appears in many of the greatest movies and shows ever created.It shows how he overcame personal issues to succeed in his profession.I believe that this book is a goodread for anyone wanting to see perserverance in action.Jones shows thatanyone can do anything if they want it bad enough.

A Book that helped heal my wounds
Not only do I know James Earl Jones as an actor(rather than darth vader) I respect him as a very unique individual, who touched some parts in my life. I was having difficulty in school: I stammered in school and was very shy. There were things in my life that I held back for a long time. Like James. I hope that his name will carry on both on stage and off. I definitely recommend this book to those who want to know the person and get to understand him that way. I know I do!

I never expected to have so much in common with a black man.
Mr. Jones and I are both part Irish, have a childhood history of stammering, went into acting which helped the speech problem and we may have other things in common. I very much enjoyed this book and I recommend it to others. Why only a "9"? In the middle of the book he states that he is a member of the NRA and just drops the subject. He must know full well that it doesn't jive with his life or his beliefs. But he just dropped it. A great idea for a second book: pick up this subject in the wake of the Murrah building blast and then look at the comparisons between the OJ trial and one of his signature roles, Othello ... Read more

Book Description
Fully documented and with exhaustive listings, this book is designed for collectors as well as enthusiasts. This book appears on the shelves just as the new James Bond (Casino Royale) is released, and while rumors are afoot of the possibility of a fourth Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford, directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas (Star Wars). ... Read more

Amazon.com
This astonishing biography of Alfred Kinsey, the man who launched the sexual revolution, is graphically frank about his decidedly out-of-the-mainstream sexual practices (including masochism and voyeurism), yet historian James Jones doesn't exploit the material for titillation. Instead, Jones argues compassionately and persuasively that Kinsey's personal sexual demons sparked his campaign to demolish Victorian taboos about sex by gathering the scientific data eventually published in Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953). Jones reveals that the data were hardly as unbiased as Kinsey claimed, but it was world-shaking nonetheless. Alfred C. Kinsey: A Public/Private Life is a magnificent work of cultural history as well as a sensitive study of a troubled individual.Book Description
The hidden life of Alfred C. Kinsey, the principal architect of the sexual revolution. In this brilliant, groundbreaking biography, twenty years in the making, James H. Jones presents a moving and even shocking portrait of the man who pierced the veil of reticence surrounding human sexuality. Jones shows that the public image Alfred Kinsey cultivated of disinterested biologist was in fact a carefully crafted public persona. By any measure he was an extraordinary man--and a man with secrets.Drawing upon never before disclosed facts about Kinsey's childhood, Jones traces the roots of Kinsey's scholarly interest in human sexuality to his tortured upbringing. Between the sexual tensions of the culture and Kinsey's devoutly religious family, Jones depicts Kinsey emerging from childhood with psychological trauma but determined to rescue humanity from the emotional and sexual repression he had suffered. New facts about his marriage, family life, and relationships with students and colleagues enrich this portrait of the complicated, troubled man who transformed the state of public discourse on human sexuality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Mean Book
Jones certainly did his homework, but the work comes across as mean, even vindictive.He shows Kinsey is the harshest light and he comes across as excessively judgmental.A more recent book, Sex - the Measure of All Things by Jonathan Gathorne Hardy is a kindler and more balanced look at Kinsey and his work.I recommend starting with that. Kinsey was a great pioneer -- not perfect -- but a true giant in opening up to the doors to our sexuality.The Christian right has spent the last thirty years trying to discredit Kinsey's work and take us back to the 19th Century.

Great Story, Terrible Book
"Awkward" and "provincial" wrote the NY Times reviewer, and I can't disagree. To get an idea of the biographer'sperspective on Kinsey, consider that he refers to an interest in S/M as"peculiar," and closes by predicting that had the atheisticKinsey lived to see the age of AIDS, he would have seen AIDS as the work ofa "wrathful God."

Thorough, biassed and both scientifically and sexually naive
James Jones's biography of Alfred c Kinsey is a valuable antidote to the hagiographies and demonologies published so far. Jones presents the nastier sides of his subject's personality and exposes his strategically concealedsexual practices. However, Jones presents Kinsey as a pervert andcharlatan, failing to understand the moral and scientific rationales forKinsey's approach to sex research and thus totally misrepresents both theman and his achievement. Jones's last-page sop to Kinsey's greatness seemsto be a cowardly after-thought to a bilious, splenetic and angry book.

A better choice
I would recomend reading Judith Reismman's new book: Kinsey: Crimes andConsequences.

The Kinsey Institute revealed that Kinsey used pedophilesto document orgasms in hundreds of boys and girls as young a 5 months old. One of his favorites reported abusing at least 800 children. These

Kinseyreclassified prostitutes as married woman when he could not find enoughwoman willing to submit to his questionnaire.He used child molesters,rapists, homosexuals, prostitutes,sadists, masochists, etc. to representthe average American.

Kinsey would not allow anyone, even a janitor towork for him unless they submitted to a sexual history questionnaire.Whenapplicants did not agree that adultery, pre-marital sex, and sex withanimals was normal, he told them they would not fit in with hisstaff.

The Rockafeller Foundation's records reveal that Kinsey'sassociates were unqualified. Not only were the histories unscientificallyadministered but the statistics were proven unreliable and inacurate.

Ifyou want to know the full truth of the Kinsey deception -- buy Reisman'swell documented book.

highly readable biography of a complex individual
i had not known too much about kinsey until i read this book . . . now i know perhaps even more than i watnted to know (the book is nearly 1,000 pages). . . however, it was never dull . . . and would be of interest to readers interested in books about higher education, the mdeia, public rleations, statistics, politics, andyes, sex also! . . . i recommend the book! ... Read more

Product Description
16 audio cassettes, over 19 hours. Digitally re-mastered. ... Read more

Book Description

"The only one of my contemporaries who I felt had more talent than myself was James Jones. And he has also been the one writer of any time for whom I felt any love."-Norman Mailer

Paris. May, 1968. This is the Paris of the barricaded boulevards of rebelling students' strongholds, of the literati, the sexual anarchists, the leftists-written chillingly of a time in French history closely paralleling America in the late '60s. The reader sees, feels, smells and fears all the turmoil of the frightening social quicksand of 1968.

James Jones (1921–1977) established himself as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century with his WWII trilogy, From Here to Eternity (National Book Award winner), The Thin Red Line and Whistle.

Customer Reviews (4)

Perhaps his best
For those of us who thought James Jones could only write war stories, this relatively obscure title is a nice surprise.Of course, there is a warlike element to the story's backdrop of 1968 Paris, but ultimately the student riots are just that - a backdrop.

The main focus of the story is on the descent of an American expat family into chaos, in part as a reflection of the generational divides laid bare by the riots.There are bits of sex and violence thrown into the mix (although far more of both are referred to indirectly without actually being portrayed), but the story is more concerned with changing values and the bonds of family and friendship than with anything melodramatic.It turns out that Jones was far better at telling such a tale than his earlier and better known novels had let on.

Since most of the lead characters are defined by their uglier sides, there aren't many people to root for.But as the story progresses, it increasingly becomes a story of the well-to-do American community in Paris as a whole, which makes for a somewhat more sympathetic picture.Jones also did a great job of bringing in real-life events of May-June 1968 on both sides of the Atlantic to influence his fictional characters and their story, which is told from the point of view of an intimate observer of the chaos just a few weeks after it's all over.Is it really the end of an era for the Americans of Paris, or just for one dysfunctional family?For once, as the reader, you're free to decide on your own.

A Great Novel -- Could Be A Great Film
A classic that stands the test of time. Note the parallels with Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.

Courageous, unflinching portrayals of Americans in Paris.

Bertolucci's upcoming film covers the same time period. But this novel's the Real Thing.

I'm tired of dumb...reviews
... "The Merry Month of May" is a brilliant, perfectly structured novel which was misunderstood when it was first published, and is apparentlystill misunderstood. Like Jake Barnes in "The Sun Also Rises," Hartley is a wounded man who finds himself emotionally impotent to help the people he loves most, even when his own godchild's future is in question. He is an observer, in the tradition of Barnes, or Nick Carraway, and to observe is his JOB. His own feelings of guilt and shame come from the very fact that he can't bring himself to act, take sides, or take a stand, even when his friends demand it of him. This is actually, in my estimation, one of the few novels of its time that deals honestly and compassionately with women's true roles in the "sexual revolution" of the Sixties.

Hasn't Aged Well
The Merry Month of May is centered on the student protests of May 1968 in Paris. Jones' protagonist, Jack Hartley, is a middle-aged American writer who is friends with a family personally affected by the summer's events. The family, the Gallaghers, consist of Harry, a sex-crazed film writer, his long-suffering wife Louisa, and their rebellious, anarchist-wannabe son, Hill. Hill is involved with a radical group bent on filming the protests; Harry's sympathy and help is not welcomed by the boy. Meanwhile, Harry is having a hard time remaining faithful to his wife. Obviously, little of this has anything to
do with Jack Hartley. Because of Hartley's outsider status, he is able to make witty comments about the absurdity of the young idealists' perceptions of the world and the worth of what they are doing. However, Hartley's irrelevance to the action shows in dull passages where he is simply walking around before, during, and after riot action. He is an annoying meddler in the Gallaghers' problems; despite insistent claims to the reader that
he doesn't want to get involved, he continually does so. Here politics and social upheaval are awkwardly mixed with sexual dalliances, particularly Harry's irresponsible ones, for which Hartley condemns him. Gallagher's wife is portrayed as nearly a saint, while all the other women in the book (sexually
liberated by 1968 standards) are physically described at length in vulgar terms, considered amoral if not evil, and whatever efforts they make for the cause are belittled by male characters. This is not uncommon for a novel published in 1970, and perhaps it says something about the so-called sexual revolution that Jones can so easily milk it for sexploitation. Or, perhaps, it just says something about Jones.
Jones' writing has improved since the clunky, adverb-heavy prose of From Here to Eternity, or perhaps he simply acquired better editors by this, his sixth, novel. The book is at times funny in a cynical way that seems before its time, but for the most part, it's windy, too distanced, and terribly dated. ... Read more

Book Description
hat are the benefits of being a spiritual person? This is the question that James W. Jones explores in his newest book, The Mirror of God. Jones contends that true religious belief is not a passive process and that one must work hard towards believing in God through acts such as prayer, medi-tation, and communal worship. He explores the boundaries between psychotherapy and religious practice, looks at what Christians might learn from Buddhists, and shows how faith affects the body and mind. Jones is a psychologist as well as a professor of religion and, ultimately, he provides a blueprint for worship that's smart, effective, and grounded in the real lives we all live. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bhuddism V. Christianity

As the title of the book suggests, the author tries to present the Christian faith as spiritual practice using Buddhism's categories. To defend his thesis, he returns to the early church fathers and argues that in their writings, they made "the site of redemption the individual's interior struggle with themselves." This is important because Buddhism emphasizes this personal struggle and fears and the whole essence of meditation in Buddhism is to receive enlightenment and be freed from these struggles. He says the early Fathers of the church provided meditation techniques to help the mind to be quiet. He gives an example of the "Jesus Prayer." He argues that this is not unique to Christianity but is also present in Buddhism. It is a common practice in Buddhism to recite mantras as a way of reaching the enlightenment.

With regards to the role of the body, the author says the Tibetan Buddhists have something to teach Christianity about the body. Unlike the early Christian Fathers who saw the body as being antagonistic to the spirit, that the Buddhists approach the body not as an enemy of the spirit but as a means of expressing the spirit.

The author tries to compare Jesus and Buddha. He says "... both Buddhism and Christianity begin with a wandering teacher who gathers a band of followers. The births of both founders are surrounded with miraculous and supernatural events. After their deaths, both are recognized as more than simply mortal." He however recognizes that there are differences between them. He brings in the issue of attachment and detachment in both religions and tries to give a psychological perspective to them.

He says that "spiritualities and therapies of transcendence alone run the risk of a hollow and short-lived victory over interior forces. Spiritualities and therapies of immersion alone run the risk of drowning in the pool of Narcissus." This is a significant contribution in his work. The basic wisdom here is to acknowledge our emotions, explore them and then relate them in order for true transcendental transformation to take place.

His references to studies showing that spiritual practice helps in psychological well being are definitely a positive to his work. He says, "Those who gain meaning from their religion and practice it regularly enjoy better overall health than those who use religion instrumentally, as a way of impressing others or as a means to social status." The author discusses the contributions of modern psychology to spiritual practice. He says "Spiritual disciplines and the wisdom they produce add breadth and depth to the findings of psychology. Psychology adds grounding and realism to the spiritual journey."

The author does a good job trying to convince his readers to look at Christian faith as spiritual practice. His comparison of Christianity and Buddhism is well done.

... Read more

Book Description
The definitive biography of Alfred C. Kinsey—the man who inspired the major new motion picture starring Liam Neeson.

More than twenty-five years in the making, this groundbreaking biography caused great controversy when it was first published. Drawing on tens of thousands of letters gleaned from more than a dozen archives and scores of personal interviews (ranging from members of sexual subcultures who demanded anonymity to congressmen, university presidents, prize-winning scientists, and heads of foundations), James H. Jones shows that the image of disinterested biologist cultivated by Kinsey was in fact a carefully crafted public persona. The Alfred C. Kinsey who emerges in these pages was a social reformer and a zealot, who devoted his every waking hour to the destruction of sexual repression. 31 b/w photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Kinsey As Lucifer -- Well Worth The Effort
Alfred Kinsey is a hero to everyone who believes in what Kinsey called sexual variation -- the notion that sexuality is deep, broad, somewhat ungovernable, highly individualized, difficult to judge and a fundamental expression of one's self. For these folks, Kinsey outed all of us (and high time, too), opening a healthy and necessary global discussion on sexual preference, choice and predilection.

Equally, Kinsey is a demon to everyone who believes that the phrase "sexual deviant"means something, and who subscribes to the notion that, somewhere in the 1950s, US culture lost its way in a maze of permissiveness and perversion. For thse folks, that maze was designed in large measure by Kinsey.

Kinsey's devotees will find this biography unsettling. Jones gives us a wonderfully rich and detailed view of just how deeply Kinsey's own needs (and blindnesses) informed his work and the work of his team, and how (consciously or otherwise) Kinsey's quest for self-validation led him to concoct (no other word will do, it seems to me) validation for all those like him who could not find their sexual self-images in the rather poverty-stricken catalog available in the 1950s and before.

Kinsey-haters, while clapping gleefully at all that Jones reveals about the flaws behind Kinsey's path-breaking work (Mister Y in particular), will also be disturbed by this book. Jones doesn't demonize Kinsey, or, if he does, he makes of Kinsey a Lucifer: a bringer of light, an arrogant, fallen angel, a friend of humankind. It is impossible, it seems to me, to read this truly great book and not conclude that, flawed and conflicted as he was, Kinsey was doing the work of the angels -- that his research did open, in an unforecloseable way, the facticity of sexual variation in the human species.

For historians and sociologists of science, this book is a must-read: a wonderful case study about the open boundary between the psyche of the investigator and the subject of investigation.

For the rest of us, this is the biography of a man, in full: a big, brilliant [...], dead-on and dead-broken at the same moment. It's nice -- in these days of perpetu-spin, Fox News and reality TV -- to see something whole, to see it clearly, and to see it without the annoying drone of (leftist or rightist) commentary.

All kudos to Jones for his fairness, his scholarship and his reach, which does not exceed his grasp. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Brew a cup of hot tea and prepare to enjoy yourself
What could be better than a gay vampire who solves crimes?I found this tale immensely enjoyable, both as a mystery and as a way to immerse myself in English country life.The characters are delightful (or dreadful in the case of Zeke Harwood, the nasty decorator).The setting is charming.I found myself wanting to wander around the world of Snupperton Mumsley.Brew up a cup of hot tea and read this wonderful story.It's a perfect read for an inclement night.I've read every book in the series.Anyone who doesn't like them obviously suffers from deplorable taste.

Boring
I enjoy Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mystery series so I picked up this book.I was bored.Maybe it would have been better to start with the first book in the series, but a good book should be able to stand on its own.In this case, there was a distracting subplot about his pills and a Nemesis that was either a reference to an earlier book or preparing for a subsequent book.

The main characters, particularly Simon and Giles, came off as cariactures not "real" people and because of that did not capture my interest or affection. The plot itself was thin.I could not wait to be done reading.Based on this book, I will not be reading any of the others in the series.

overdone
While many of the flaws which pestered the first episode of this series were no longer to be found in the second one and neither have reappeared here -that constant use of those double surnames, though...
I cannot say I am completely about the novel though.

Mr James decided to play the card of the witty parody of the sleuth stories and he lets his main hero explicitly mention the fact. This plot device though is not as funny as one could imagine though, at least not in the long run.
Simon looks again a little too self complacent and his dialogues with the handsome Inspector Chase are a lot less sparkling than they could have been. Even the sexual tension between him and the same inspector as well as that with Giles appear dimmer than they could have been.

A fun read, but less than expected, not to mention the annoying inconsistencies scattered here and there, such as a statement about Giles not being aware of his beauty followed by right the opposite one after no more than two pages.

Silly "British" Fun
OK. From start to finish this is a fun novel.If you have not read any of the other Simon-Kirby Jones mysteries, you should read them in their correct order.You will find in doing so, this novel is far more entertaining.Be that as it may, Simon, a gay American ex-patriot vampire, who happens to be a gothic novelist, is "living" in the quaint countryside of England where he, together with a dashingly handsome Inspector Detective, as well a a "titled" gay man/boy who happens to lust for Simon, embark on another quest to solve a perplexing mystery.Total fun.

Mr. James writes in the style of a 1930's British mystery writer, right down to the formality of dialogue, and the stereotypical supporting characters who populate his novels.This of course adds to the total charm of the series.

This particular novel deals with the timely, and hardly mourned murder of a faux gay TV-decorating star who has made the mistake of securing one last "remake decorating" gig in the town where Simon Kirby-Jones resides.Zeke, as his is named, meets his demise and it becomes apparent that Simon and his detecting skills are needed.From thence, as Mr. James might say, the plot evolves.Silly?..yes!Entertaing?...yes! Good mystery?..yes?Satisfying?...yes.Unlikely ending?...I guess you will have to read the novel to find out!

Move Over Miss Marple
Talk about a special cup of tea--James serves up his own unique brew, a gay cozy with a sexy vampire protagonist, and along the way, he pays homage to past masters of the genre. Utterly delightful.Victor J. Banis, author of TALES FROM C.A.M.P., JACKIE'S BACK ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Nice Job--Consistent Characterization
Although offbeat (and that is a plus in my book), Dean James' mysteries are well-plotted, with consistent characterizations from book to book.Enjoyable and challenging, with characters you can care about.

clichéd and stereotyped
Frankly I bought this book because it was at the same time gay-themed and vampire-themed fiction, two real assets when I am looking for entertainment.

In the last years both themes have become increasingly popular and exploited by several authors so that it has become rather difficult to sort out and discriminate quality fiction, average but still entertaining fiction and trash dealing with these topics without having to buy at least the first two episodes of each series which is of course a rather money consuming choice.

Dean James (pun intended?) gives us the usual British country setting with the usual colourful and a little stereotyped characters. The only original touch is that the amateur detective, -hear hear hear: a writer...-, is gay and has been recently turned into a vampire.

The plot is no more than average, exploiting the usual clichés. The main character is not likeable: a judgemental, conformist middle class bloke, extremely full of himself and indulging in lots of mannerisms consistently reflected by the author's writing style, full of unnecessary talks and pointless wit. One could also mention the insistence on clothing which makes me think that Dean James is really a nom de plume for a female writer.

A minor but curious detail is the constant use of double surnames which sound very clumsy, not to mention the fact that the small English village seems a little too crowded by gorgeous men and alternative sexuality: if that were believable I guess a gay man should reconsider the habit of living in large cities.

All above notwithstanding this book was a pleasant read and I am going to buy the second volume to check how the series and the writer's skills progress.

A cozy with teeth!
Posted to Death is a both send-up and an homage to the traditional English cozy. Your first clues that James is having you on are the names of the people and places used - Lady Blitherington and Colonel Athelstan Clitheroe are just two of the characters who live in the quaint little town of Snupperton Mumsley. Your next clue is that our hero, Simon Kirby-Jones, is a gay vampire. Sounds fun, doesn't it? But it is an homage to the cozy because James has included the requisite elements of a cozy and has written a good mystery instead of just a spoof.

Posted to Death is set in modern day, and vampires like Kirby-Jones are now able to walk secretly among us during the day due to the miracles of modern medicine. So Kirby-Jones is following his dream and has relocated from the U.S. to Snupperton Mumsley, where he is trying to become a member of the close-knit community. When the snoopy postmistress is murdered, our hero decides that, due to his more-than-human attributes, he is the logical choice to investigate the crime. Our hero proceeds to do what every amateur detective does - he snoops, he encourages gossip, he goes to dinners and teas to meet the locals, and he slowly gathers enough information about the locals to solve the crime.

He also swoons over the dishy vicar and tries not to smile so broadly that his fangs are visible. This book is interesting because it is intelligent, catty, campy, and fun, all at the same time. It is such a funny premise and I am interested to see where James takes it in the books that follow.

Favorite character? Kirby-Jones. Did I guess it? He got me! I followed a lovely red herring right up to the big unmasking before realizing I was on the wrong horse. It was beautiful. Will I read another? Yes.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at [...]

Posted to Death
The book was very entertaining.It's full of quirks and twists that are unexpected.On the whole, a very enjoyable read.

Guilty pleasures in Snupperton-Mumsley
The cozy mystery is a rigid form, in that respect rather like a sonnet.The sub-class of English country village cozy mystery, then, might be likened to a Shakespearean sonnet or, in its more baroque form, a Spenserian sonnet.Rigidity of form, however, does not necessarily imply limitation or restriction.In the right hands, the sonnet and the cozy offer springboards for art, even genius.

In this series by Dean James, four published novels as I write, the author is plainly aware of the requirements of his chosen form and is amused by them.While offering them full obeisance, from time to time he is happy to give them a swift kick.

Cozies have tended in recent years to fall into niches: murder-solving caterers, booksellers, hoteliers, florists, undertakers, hairdressers, coffee shop owners, drycleaners, wedding planners, home handy women, even cozy bounty hunters.James gives us the niche to end all niches: the gay, partially closeted, southern, academic, expatriate, romance writing, English country village, reformed vampire, cozy mystery.

Judging by the reactions of previous reviewers of this novel and the others of the series, one either delightedly swallows this stuff whole or strains mightily at the smallest fragment.One reviewer snarls that, "the characters have the depth (but not the appeal) of graham crackers; the stereotypical British-isms are painful; the plot is so bad it should be staked through the heart".Another, in a frenzy of disdain says, "It is poorly executed and too clever by half."Now that, when you think about it, is a pretty good trick.

As for myself, I know full well that James's quaint English village of Snupperton-Mumsley exists on no portion of this mundane, sub-lunar world and his characters, from the appalling but oddly attractive Lady Prunella Blitherington down to the busy-body post mistress bear only the most casual resemblance to anyone who has ever drawn a breath of real air or grumbled at a tax bill.Nevertheless, I am entangled in their spell and have every intention of wolfing down every Snupperton-Mumsley tale that Dean James chooses to deliver.

Five stars for the guilty pleasure of it all. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (12)

getting better
As far as mysteries are concerned I expect genre loving readers will still find this second episode at fault. The very classical rules of very classical detective stories require that the readers be given all necessary inditia to solve it for themselves.

It does not happen here and the identity of the murderer is entirely unexpected.

As for the rest I was happier than with the first book: this series is apparently not meant to be more than just entertaining and entertaining it is.

The writing is quick, light hearted; there are repetitions and redundant statements but fewer than in the first episode not to mention that Simon is much more likeable here than it was there.

An easy read for a lazy afternoon: this book is nothing more but also nothing less than this.

Vampire Mystery
Another very enjoyable read.Simon Kirby-Jones is a real tease though leaving Giles wanting!

Those pills...
Has no one but me noticed that on page thirteen of the first book, Simon explains that he must take the pills twice a day? And then throughout this second book, he takes them three times a day?

What's up with that?

Cute but needs more Vampire action
This is really a cute cozy mystery but it needs more vampire type action. Simon did not vamp out not once.. (sad face) and he needs to get with his boyfriend if he is going to have a lover.. GET on with it already ... haha
I will get the other books and read them.. they were cute.

Not very good at all
Simon Kirby-Jones needs a stake driven through the heart.
It would truly be a mercy killing for this character. ... Read more