Book Review: Posted to Death

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Posted to Death     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Dean James
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Vampire   Gay / Lesbian
Series: Simon Kirby-Jones # 1
Kensington, April 2002, $22.00, 242 pp.

The newest member of the quirky English village of Snupperton Mumsley is Simon Kirby-Jones, an American author of bodice rippers and mysteries (under pseudonyms). Simon is also gay and a vampire but thanks to advances in modern medicine, he is able to hide his condition from the rest of humanity. By taking two pills daily, he can walk in sunlight, eat and drink food, and has no need for human blood.

Simon takes immediately to village life and is delighted to discover another vampire, Jane Hardwick, living in the village. The two bond immediately and when the local postmistress is murdered, the pair embarks on their own investigation to uncover the culprit. They find that everyone had a reason to hate the gossipy women who threatened to expose their secrets via a play that she wrote for a local dramatic society production. As Simon closes in on the killer, he finds his own "undead" life in jeopardy.

POSTED TO DEATH is a cozy mystery that puts down home Lone Star charm (Simon is a Texan) in an old- fashioned English village within a realistic slight bite sleuth tale. Dean James has captured the essence of village life in such a manner that readers can enjoy the story line without taking it overly seriously. The hero is admirable, lovable and as eccentric as the rest of the locals, which is the main reason he and Snupperton Mumsley are made for each other and the audience.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner