Art in the Blood***** This is the earliest 'Vampire Files' book I've read and it's number four. Jack Fleming hasn't been a vampire that long, but he's putting his new abilities to good use (good, that is, if one is not a bad guy). His undead life is being spent in Chicago during the days of the gangsters and the Great Depression.

Jack's lover, a beautiful nightclub singer named Bobbi Smythe, is hired to sing at a party given by a well known and popular artist named Leighton Brett. Jack is her date. There he helps an abstract painter named Evan Robley when the young fool gets in trouble gambling (Evan's fault). Evan is a friend of Brett and his fiancee, Reva, as is Evan's more practical sister, Sandra Robley. Sandra is the one keeping the siblings afloat financially, producing paintings for both the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and an interior decorating firm.

The other artist in this entry is Alex Adrian. Alex was famous, but he hasn't painted since his wife, Celia, died. Celia apparently committed suicide, but the newspapers hinted that Alex killed her.

Jack and his human partner, Charles Escott, will be investigating a murder, dealing with an attempted murder, and finding out whether Celia's death was suicide or murder. There's plenty of action and the main characters are engaging. Now and then Ms. Elrod breaks the mood for me by having an educated character following modern usage that would have been an error for the period, but if you don't know that, it shouldn't bother you.

Notes:

See chapter one for Charles Escott's story about what happened to him the last time he was bored (which was in 1920).

The Lamont Cranston Fleming mentions in chapter 7 was one of the secret identities of that pulp magazine/radio superhero, The Shadow (the one who knew what evil lurks in the minds of men).

See chapter 11 for Charles Escott's opinion of Hitler. No, it's not flattering. ( )

Synopsis: Art in the Blood - Jack goes with Bobbi to an art show and meets a well known painter who has been a recluse since losing his wife. While this sounds innocent, it leads Jack, Charles and Bobbi into a series of murders that unmask at least one murderer.
Fire in the Blood - A wealthy man comes to Charles with a request to retrieve a family heirloom without any scandal. Jack tracks those under suspicion, and finds a young lady who, while from the wrong side of the tracks, has been wrongly accused; Jack also finds that he is as attracted to her as he has been to Bobbi.
Blood on the Water - A gang war is going on with Jack and Charles not only in the middle of if, but the focus. Paco is back, but still nuts, however, his daughter wants him anyway. Jack is suspected of being 'The Invisible Man'.

Review: Art in the Blood - although this is as well written as most of the books, the mystery is quite thin. The portion of the story that deals with vampirism was exciting and enthralling.
Fire in the Blood - this book had me screaming 'don't open that door' in several chapters. It also opened another facet of Jack's personality that makes him 'more human'.
Blood n the Water - even though this book ties up some loose ends, it opens avenues to other stories involving the Paco family and their new bookkeeper, Opal. ( )

I'm glad these three were available together. I was a little lost with the first book in here as it had been a few years since I'd read the previous collection, but it was easy to get up to speed. And the first story led well into the second, which ended on a cliffhanger. Happily, the third book began right where the second one left off, so the anticipation was immediately rewarded.

Also glad this doesn't support an all-powerful vampire mythology; the main character has flaws (some pretty drastic ones) that make it much more interesting. ( )