The Devil You Know, by P.N. Elrod, is a special edition novelette that is the sequel to Bloodcircle, the third novel in the Vampire Files series. In post-Prohibition New York, Jack Fleming returns to Long Island to attend a funeral at the request of Jonathan Barrett, a Revolutionary-era vampire with genteel manners. What they did not expect to found was a body of an unknown decomposed man on the property estate. Barrett seeks Jack's help to solve the murder mystery without arousing police attention and public suspicion. When the two find themselves buried alive by intruders who don't like troublemakers, they travel to New York City to investigate the people involved. Clues lead Jack back to his old stomping grounds in the newspaper world. There, the novel covers his old memories before he migrated to Chicago and became a vampire. Before the investigation hits the ground, Jonathan and Jack find themselves in a dark world of mobsters, guns, and greed. The plot thickens by switching from who is responsible for the decomposed body to who can survive the long, cold night without a bullet in the forehead. There's not much the two vampires can do but discover the prime culprit behind the mayhem.
This limited, signed edition by P.N. Elrod is a like a breath of fresh air. I enjoy the fact she tries to continue the series. I am definitely keeping it as one of my collectibles. I had to re-read my review for Bloodcircle to figure out the exact timeline of the storyline since so many years have passed. Jonathan Barrett, another vampire, makes a cameo appearance as he tries to solve the murder mystery with Jack Fleming. The plot was an enjoyable and suspenseful novelette that I recommend to all Vampire Files and Jonathan Barrett fans.
Stay tuned for the next book of Elrod's favorite short stories, Lunchtime Reading Omnibus.
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