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Vampire Files #12.5
The Devil You Know
Undead PI Jack Fleming travels to Long Island to attend a funeral.
Problem: There's more than one body in the grave.
Delving into his past, Jack follows clues leading to an old murder, new betrayals, and a hard look at the man he was vs. the vampire he's become.
Problem: There's more than one body in the grave.
Delving into his past, Jack follows clues leading to an old murder, new betrayals, and a hard look at the man he was vs. the vampire he's become.
140 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2009
24 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
P.N. Elrod
88 books592 followersPatricia Nead Elrod is an American fantasy writer specializing in novels about vampires. Her work falls into areas of fantasy and (in some cases) mystery or historical fiction, but normally not horror, since her vampires are the heroes. -Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 3, 2009
Jack Fleming and Jonathan Barrett together again, to solve a murder. Nice little novella in the Vampire Files series. Contains spoilers for book 3, Bloodcircle, but seems to take place after Dark Road Rising.
June 12, 2011
Enjoyable detective story from the universe of the Vampire Files bringing Jack Fleming and Jonathan Barrett together to solve the mystery of an unknown body found in the excavations of Jonathan's estate. Both Jack and Jonathan are appealing characters, vampires from different centuries and backgrounds, united by the vampire they both loved and brought back together to set her to rest. Together they manage to solve the mystery about the body and get entangled in the takeover bid of a New York gang with humor and plenty of action.
July 29, 2009
Limited edition. Good stuff!
November 8, 2020
Like visiting old friends.
I've long been a fan of P. N. Elrod. I've read every book and short story I could, and I've come to enjoy the tongue in cheek style of her characters. Having Jack Fleming and Johnathan Barrett in a story together invites so much light-hearted banter that even when it is hard core things happening, you can't help but chuckle. Throw in Izzy DeLeon, and it becomes a masterpiece of writing. I've missed all three of these, and many more. But the years in between my last acquaintance with them gets blasted away the second I read the first word. It's like they never were gone. And this is why she's my favorite author.
I've long been a fan of P. N. Elrod. I've read every book and short story I could, and I've come to enjoy the tongue in cheek style of her characters. Having Jack Fleming and Johnathan Barrett in a story together invites so much light-hearted banter that even when it is hard core things happening, you can't help but chuckle. Throw in Izzy DeLeon, and it becomes a masterpiece of writing. I've missed all three of these, and many more. But the years in between my last acquaintance with them gets blasted away the second I read the first word. It's like they never were gone. And this is why she's my favorite author.
May 28, 2017
Highly entertaining. Very fond of Elrod's work.
I enjoy Ms Elrod's take on vampires. Well worth the read. My mom would have called this mind candy. Fun, enjoyable and an easy read.
I enjoy Ms Elrod's take on vampires. Well worth the read. My mom would have called this mind candy. Fun, enjoyable and an easy read.
August 6, 2017
Love her books!
I have read all of her Vampire Files and hope to read more!!! She keeps you involved with the stories and characters and you can not put them down until you finish! Great Fun!! More please!!!
I have read all of her Vampire Files and hope to read more!!! She keeps you involved with the stories and characters and you can not put them down until you finish! Great Fun!! More please!!!
December 3, 2020
Fun, fast and funny.gression
A fun quaint look into the past. Suspenseful, story with a nice progression. Fun for vampire aficionados who are looking for a more contemporary vampire story.
A fun quaint look into the past. Suspenseful, story with a nice progression. Fun for vampire aficionados who are looking for a more contemporary vampire story.
February 8, 2021
Hard Boiled Vampire-Detective Story
This was another good tale by P.N. Elrond. Snappy dialog and returning characters abound. It cemented my resolve to read the rest of the series, as I’ve only read short stories before this book.
This was another good tale by P.N. Elrond. Snappy dialog and returning characters abound. It cemented my resolve to read the rest of the series, as I’ve only read short stories before this book.
May 15, 2015
Series: Vampire Files: Jack Fleming, 12.5
This is a short story...what is the difference between a novella and a short story?...in the Vampire Files: Jack Fleming urban fantasy series revolving around a former journalist-turned-vampire-turned-nightclub-owner, Jack Fleming, in Chicago in the 1930s.
My Take
Whoaaa, for a short story, there is a whole lotta action goin' on!
Elrod is amazing in her depiction of the time period. You can see, smell, feel, and hear it as you read. The swish of satin, the smoke from cigarettes drifting in the air, the roar of a Studebaker, and the tat-a-tat-tat of a Thompson submachine gun.
There's quite a bit of "what-if" in here as Jack and Jonathan both wonder how they could have prevented the tragedy. If only…
Interesting side bit about Thomas E. Dewey as an assistant district attorney in New York.
Way unexpected to discover Jonathan's lifestyle change. This is so unexpected! Now Jonathan says this was a long time coming… Damn, there's another story here! Meanwhile, Emily's house out on Long Island is on land that Barrett's family had owned when he was still alive and he's purchased the house from her.
The Story
Maureen Dumont is the woman both men had loved. And now Jonathan has found her body. With an unexpected sensitivity, Jonathan invites Jack to return for her funeral. And another unexpected discovery. One that will involve the New York City mob.
It's all about the history. That between Jack and Jonathan. The woman they both loved. The rivalry for power between mob criminals in New York City.
And a lawyer who's been missing for seven years. One whose recovery poses all sorts of trouble for more than just Jack and Jonathan.
The Characters
Jack Fleming was a journalist who left New York City and ended up in Chicago. Ended is the right word as that's where he learned about his new existence as a vampire. He now owns Lady Crymsyn there and is friends with Escott, a private detective, and Northside Gordy, a mob boss. Bobbi Smythe is his girlfriend and an amazing singer who performs at his club.
Jonathan Barrett became a vampire during the Revolutionary War and has stayed on the East Coast for the most part. For years he has lived with Emily Francher a human.
Maureen Dumont is the woman who caused Jack to become a vampire. It's saved his life at least a dozen times. The least he can do is attend her funeral.
Missus Stannard, a most interesting woman, provides the necessary clues for Jack and Jonathan to continue their search for the body's identity.
Fleish Brogan is a gangster in New York City with the most amazing secret. Swann is his second with an interest in changing up. Thorp, Kaiser, Wendell, Remke, Harv, and Ernie are some of Brogan's soldiers. Griffin Endicott was Brogan's lawyer until he went beyond the pale. Mrs. Naomi Van Dusen Endicott is still living in their home, wondering where he disappeared to, hoping he'll never be back.
Desmond "Clappie" Clapsaddle is a reporter from Jack's past. A sot and an excellent writer with more knowledge about the City's underworld than he is allowed to print. Isabelle DeLeon is another reporter whom Jack knew. One whom Jack would have tried to date if he hadn't been so deep in a bottle. Now she's holding up Clapsaddle, although Jonathan seems to be interested romantically.
The Cover
The cover is all black-and-white with Jack and his shadow trekking across a concrete sidewalk.
It's an opportunity for retrospection for Jack and he soon comes to realize that he prefers The Devil You Know.
This is a short story...what is the difference between a novella and a short story?...in the Vampire Files: Jack Fleming urban fantasy series revolving around a former journalist-turned-vampire-turned-nightclub-owner, Jack Fleming, in Chicago in the 1930s.
My Take
Whoaaa, for a short story, there is a whole lotta action goin' on!
Elrod is amazing in her depiction of the time period. You can see, smell, feel, and hear it as you read. The swish of satin, the smoke from cigarettes drifting in the air, the roar of a Studebaker, and the tat-a-tat-tat of a Thompson submachine gun.
There's quite a bit of "what-if" in here as Jack and Jonathan both wonder how they could have prevented the tragedy. If only…
Interesting side bit about Thomas E. Dewey as an assistant district attorney in New York.
Way unexpected to discover Jonathan's lifestyle change. This is so unexpected! Now Jonathan says this was a long time coming… Damn, there's another story here! Meanwhile, Emily's house out on Long Island is on land that Barrett's family had owned when he was still alive and he's purchased the house from her.
The Story
Maureen Dumont is the woman both men had loved. And now Jonathan has found her body. With an unexpected sensitivity, Jonathan invites Jack to return for her funeral. And another unexpected discovery. One that will involve the New York City mob.
It's all about the history. That between Jack and Jonathan. The woman they both loved. The rivalry for power between mob criminals in New York City.
And a lawyer who's been missing for seven years. One whose recovery poses all sorts of trouble for more than just Jack and Jonathan.
The Characters
Jack Fleming was a journalist who left New York City and ended up in Chicago. Ended is the right word as that's where he learned about his new existence as a vampire. He now owns Lady Crymsyn there and is friends with Escott, a private detective, and Northside Gordy, a mob boss. Bobbi Smythe is his girlfriend and an amazing singer who performs at his club.
Jonathan Barrett became a vampire during the Revolutionary War and has stayed on the East Coast for the most part. For years he has lived with Emily Francher a human.
Maureen Dumont is the woman who caused Jack to become a vampire. It's saved his life at least a dozen times. The least he can do is attend her funeral.
Missus Stannard, a most interesting woman, provides the necessary clues for Jack and Jonathan to continue their search for the body's identity.
Fleish Brogan is a gangster in New York City with the most amazing secret. Swann is his second with an interest in changing up. Thorp, Kaiser, Wendell, Remke, Harv, and Ernie are some of Brogan's soldiers. Griffin Endicott was Brogan's lawyer until he went beyond the pale. Mrs. Naomi Van Dusen Endicott is still living in their home, wondering where he disappeared to, hoping he'll never be back.
Desmond "Clappie" Clapsaddle is a reporter from Jack's past. A sot and an excellent writer with more knowledge about the City's underworld than he is allowed to print. Isabelle DeLeon is another reporter whom Jack knew. One whom Jack would have tried to date if he hadn't been so deep in a bottle. Now she's holding up Clapsaddle, although Jonathan seems to be interested romantically.
The Cover
The cover is all black-and-white with Jack and his shadow trekking across a concrete sidewalk.
It's an opportunity for retrospection for Jack and he soon comes to realize that he prefers The Devil You Know.
May 3, 2012
I enjoyed this installment in the Vampire Files series. This novel seems to take place after Dark Road Risingbut is a sequel to Bloodcircle. when Maureen's body is finally recovered from the house where she died by Jonathan Barrett Jack goes up to New York to attend the funeral. But he's not expecting to find an extra body there. This book is a bit of a throwback to the earlier mystery style novels in the series and in that sense it's a bit of a relief. I'm was glad to find that for once Jack wasn't on the torture table. Having said that though Jack is still pretty broken up from events a few books ago. Given the ending to Dark Road Rising it'll be interesting to see where this series goes next, but having said that, for me, it doesn't have the same appeal these days that it used to have...
March 26, 2015
Perhaps the most important thing to say about this wonderful short novel by P.N. Elrod is that you do not need to know either of her vampire series (The Vampire Files or the Jonathan Barrett, Gentleman Vampire books) to enjoy this mystery laced with history, fantasy, and humor. Elrod makes you believe that journalist turned undead PI and nightclub owner Jack Fleming really does live in Depression Era Chicago, and really does head to a vampire funeral--where all hell breaks loose. It's up to Fleming and Barrett to solve their own attempted murders, as well as that of an inconvenient corpse found while Barrett was digging out a vampire crypt.
But things never go as you planned, or hoped.
The writing is clean and evocative, character speech rings true for class and era, and the mystery twists beautifully, making the title more appropriate than they could have imagined. Highly recommended.
But things never go as you planned, or hoped.
The writing is clean and evocative, character speech rings true for class and era, and the mystery twists beautifully, making the title more appropriate than they could have imagined. Highly recommended.
December 14, 2014
This is the first book in the series I have read. I had heard of this series, and I have read at list one short story, and it has been in my TBR for a long time, but it didn't cross my path before, until I got this book with the StoryBundle last October. It was entertaining and I plan to read the complete series sometime in the future. I liked the "Vampire in Chicago 30's" angle.
July 10, 2012
Another wonderful entry in the Vampire Files. P. N. Elrod is a favorite author. She tells a great story with characters I want to meet; I care about them and they are fascinating. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.
April 5, 2014
Jack Fleming and Jonathan Barrett and plenty of trouble.
March 4, 2014
Barrett wasn't as interesting as he could have been, but the story was fine.
June 16, 2014
"The Devil You Know" was an enjoyable short installment in Elrod's Vampire Files series.
Read
February 14, 2016Really good!
Never a dull moment, well worth the time to read. Jack is his usual self and it is interesting to get to know Barrett.
Never a dull moment, well worth the time to read. Jack is his usual self and it is interesting to get to know Barrett.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews