Lady Crymsyn

It's still 1937, and he's still in Chicago, but things are looking up for vampire PI Jack Fleming in the eighth installment in this strong series from veteran Elrod (Bloodlist; Lifeblood; etc.). Jack has picked up enough cash to finance his dream: a snazzy nightclub, dubbed Lady Crymsyn, where his chanteuse girlfriend can sparkle and a man can get an honest drink. Complications arise when basement remodeling reveals the remains of a mysterious lady in red who had been handcuffed and walled up while still alive. Jack's sympathies and curiosity are arousedDafter all, he was murdered himself before he turned into a vampireDand he sets out to solve the mystery. This latest adventure plays up the sleuthing more than ever, but with a detective who can use superhypnosis to verify the stories he is told and dematerialize through any locked door, a too-quick solution might be expected. Not so. Mix ruthless gangsters and tough broads with long-standing secrets at stake and things get dangerous even for a vampire. Several sordid pasts, numerous plot twists and even a ghostly presence combine for an only slightly supernatural, but altogether entrancing, who-done-it. (Nov. 7)