Rating: 
Summary: Garbage
Review: A Chill in the Blood is GARBAGE. I love vampire novels as well as detective stories. I never would've thought it possible that an author could combine two of my favorite genres into such a rotten book. Some other review referred to this as a "hard-boiled" detective novel. Nonsense. I have never, EVER, read about such a wishy-washy private eye. This guy, our "hero" spends half his time getting beaten up and the other half whining about his ethical problems about using his vampiric abilities to defend himself. Hard-boiled? Maybe if the reader is 9 years old. The plot is half-baked and transparent. It occurs to me that perhaps the reason the "hero" is such a wimp is because an individual with any courage or strength would've brought the story to a close in about 25 pages.
Don't waste your time. You want hard-boiled? Read L.A. Confidential or Altered Carbon. You want vampires? Read Salem's Lot, The Vampire Chronicles, or Dracula. But avoid this turkey like the plague.
Rating: 
Summary: Jack is back!
Review: After far too long an absence, former reporter turned vampire PI Jack Fleming is back in a new novel by PN Elrod. Thankfully, 'Chill in the Blood' picks up directly from the last novel, and keeps going with no holds barred. Pat Elrod has created a wonderful world here, a welcome departure from the traditional vampire myth that blends the supernatural with the hardboiled crime genre of 1930s Chicago. Jack is a very human, likable vampire, who does not necessarily like what he has become, but lives with it as best he can. His associates Charles Escott, 'Shoe' Coldfield, and the epynomous Gordy are well-crafted characters, who deal with the existence of vampires in their own unique fashion, and are just as interesting as Jack in their own rights. I hope to see more of Jack and the world he lives in. (For more, check out the other Vampire Files books, or the Jonathan Barrett series).
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing but good
Review: As a big fan of both of P.N. Elrod's vampire series (Jack Fleming and Jonathan Barrett), I couldn't wait to read this one. Admittedly, it is tough to write a 5th book in the series without upsetting someone, but I wish she had provided more background information. I have read the others in the series, but not recently enough to remember who was who. It's different to read a novel set in the 1930's, but I often got lost with the terminology. Still an enjoyable read for fans of the series.
Rating:
Summary: 7 Vampire Files Novels and Counting
Review: CHILL IN THE BLOOD is the seventh installment of the Vampire Files. While it too is rather repetitive because it uses the same plot devices as the previous stories, it does have some redeeming qualities. Once again Jack is in a fight with the mob and goes through all kinds of physical abuse. I think in every story so far his head is smashed in by somebody. But at least here we get some more insight on some mobsters Jack befriends, like Shoe Colefield, the black mobster on that side of town. And Bobbi, Jack's lady friend, is always fun to be around. Not the best of the Vampire Files by far, but not a total waste of time either.
Rating:
Summary: 7 Vampire Files Novels and Counting
Review: CHILL IN THE BLOOD is the seventh installment of the Vampire Files. While it too is rather repetitive because it uses the same plot devices as the previous stories, it does have some redeeming qualities. Once again Jack is in a fight with the mob and goes through all kinds of physical abuse. I think in every story so far his head is smashed in by somebody. But at least here we get some more insight on some mobsters Jack befriends, like Shoe Colefield, the black mobster on that side of town. And Bobbi, Jack's lady friend, is always fun to be around. Not the best of the Vampire Files by far, but not a total waste of time either.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor writing, disappointing!
Review: I am a fan of good writing and vampire stories. I have read all of Laurell K. Hamilton's collection and am impressed with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. The story about a vampire in gangster Chicago seems to have promise, but the writing in this book is amateurish. The characters are not believable or well developed. The story is completely told and in very few instances shown; this cheats the reader of the action and of the character struggle. It is impossible for all of those things to have happened in the span of one night. Overall, I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Poor writing, disappointing!
Review: I am a fan of good writing and vampire stories. I have read all of Laurell K. Hamilton's collection and am impressed with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. The story about a vampire in gangster Chicago seems to have promise, but the writing in this book is amateurish. The characters are not believable or well developed. The story is completely told and in very few instances shown; this cheats the reader of the action and of the character struggle. It is impossible for all of those things to have happened in the span of one night. Overall, I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: I didn't realize until after I already had it home that this book was the 7th in the series. "Oh great," I thought, "if this is any good, I'm going to have 6 more books to buy!" I started reading "Chill in the Blood" on Sunday night, and only put it down at 6am Monday morning because I started falling asleep from being up all night. I could not put it down! That afternoon I tried four different bookstores, trying to get the rest of the series. Finally had to order them all online, not to mention ordering the first book from a "Rare, Used and Out-of-Print Books" site. The only reason the Internet was my last stop was that I wanted them NOW, not after having to wait for them to ship! The only thing I haven't liked about the story (besides Jack being "attached" ) is that I feel like I walked into the middle of the tale, as it obviously picks straight up from the last book.The first person POV is a wonderful touch, really getting the reader in touch with Jack. And being a fan of the 1930s & 1940s "The Shadow" pulp fiction stories, I was thrilled to find that the book is set in 1937! Jack even mentions "The Shadow"! In my opinion, that gave Ms. Elrod "bonus points." LOL I could gush all night, but I'm about a hundred pages from finishing the book, so I gotta go read!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: I didn't realize until after I already had it home that this book was the 7th in the series. "Oh great," I thought, "if this is any good, I'm going to have 6 more books to buy!" I started reading "Chill in the Blood" on Sunday night, and only put it down at 6am Monday morning because I started falling asleep from being up all night. I could not put it down! That afternoon I tried four different bookstores, trying to get the rest of the series. Finally had to order them all online, not to mention ordering the first book from a "Rare, Used and Out-of-Print Books" site. The only reason the Internet was my last stop was that I wanted them NOW, not after having to wait for them to ship! The only thing I haven't liked about the story (besides Jack being "attached" <wink>) is that I feel like I walked into the middle of the tale, as it obviously picks straight up from the last book. The first person POV is a wonderful touch, really getting the reader in touch with Jack. And being a fan of the 1930s & 1940s "The Shadow" pulp fiction stories, I was thrilled to find that the book is set in 1937! Jack even mentions "The Shadow"! In my opinion, that gave Ms. Elrod "bonus points." LOL I could gush all night, but I'm about a hundred pages from finishing the book, so I gotta go read!
Rating:
Summary: Frenzied action, trailing loose ends
Review: I have been reading P. N. Elrod vampire novels for around ten years now. The other ones are all wonderful, which is why I was disappointed by this one. Usually Elrod's novels contain many touches of humor and an element of mystery. Chill in the Blood doesn't have much humor and there is no mystery--we know who is trying to kill the hero, Jack, and it's nearly everybody. My favorite part of the book was Jack's stay in a black movie theater and his run-in with the touchy proprietor. The discussions of racial issues between characters in a book set a few years before World War II are fascinating. Unfortunately, Elrod doesn't do anything with them. After being stressed heavily in the first quarter of the book that theme is left behind and never returned to, and trails off as a total loose end. Elrod also plants dark hints about Escott, Jack's sidekick, but holds off on revealing anything until, apparently, the next book. Annoying. On the positive side, the pace is rapid (almost too rapid) and if you are already a fan it will hold your attention well enough. If you're new to this series, DON'T start here! Start with Bloodlist, the first one. You will never figure out who all these people are and what is going on, much less come to care about them. In a frenziedly action-filled story, there isn't time. I agree with the previous reviewer's skepticism about whether there would really be time for so much to happen in a single night. I had the impression Elrod was busy tying off ends from previous novels in order to get them out of the way, and if so the next book, Dark Sleep, is probably better. I hope so. After following Jack's adventures for so long, I'd hate to lose touch with him.;)
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