Baked to Death

by Dean A. James

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0758204876
• ISBN13: 9780758204875
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Supreme reading, with just a pinch of naughtiness

Ah, Mr. Dean James has done it yet again. With frightfully proper English means and manners, he has given us a wonderfully crafted murder mystery romp with all the trappings...and some vampires thrown in for good measure. The story is an incredibly fast read; so much so, that you'll probably want to reread it as soon as you're done, just for the fun of it. (I know I did.) Honestly, with its spendid imagery and penchant for detail, I was hoping that it would take a lot longer to go through, but no matter what the length, the story satisfies most completely. Will there be more adventures in store for our hero, Simon Kirby-Jones? There had better be. The world needs more delightful characters like Simon. Are you listening Mr. James? If you are, then 'thank you' for giving us Simon and all his cohorts and cronies. To everyone out there reading this...do more reading. I suggest starting with every one of Mr. James' Simon Kirby-Jones Mysteries. Write-On Mr. James!

Simon Kirby-Jones goes medieval

In this fourth installment in Dean James' series of vampire cozies, undead author-cum-amateur sleuth Simon Kirby-Jones goes positively medieval. Simon dons period costume to blend in with the "natives" after a historical reenactment society, the Gesta Angliae Antiquae, sets up camp in Simon's adopted hometown, the quaint English village of Snupperton-Mumsley. When the inevitable murder occurs--Simon is Snupperton-Mumsley's answer to Jessica Fletcher--our protagonist annoys the local constabulary once again by endeavoring to solve the crime himself. The GAA, it turns out, is riven by political rivalries. But is any of the men who would be elected king of this self-important little group power hungry enough to murder for the throne? More interesting than the mystery in Dean James' latest are the developments in Simon's personal life. Tristan Lovelace, Simon's former advisor and lover and the vampire who brought Simon into the undead fold, arrives eager to win back our hero's affections. But will Simon succumb to Tristan's occasional charms, or will he save himself for local aristocrat Giles Blitherington, Simon's devoted personal assistant? The Simon Kirby-Jones mysteries are not great literature. James' secondary characters tend to be two-dimensional, and the upper-crusty English cattiness many of them display can become cloying. But the mysteries are decent, and, more importantly, the concept of the books is charming. Though I would that modern-day medical advances hadn't defanged our hero--pills taken twice daily render him nearly human in his appetites--I very much like the idea of a genteel vampire taking a bite out of crime somewhere in the English countryside. James' cozies make for enjoyable light reading. Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)

For What It Is, It Is Not So Bad

Other readers have slammed this book for being rushed or too light or fake. Well we are not talking Shakespeare here. The book has a nice little plot and all the loose ends get tied up in the end. The characters are whimsical and it was nice to read. The murder was not too horrible and I think the vampire aspect was amusing. This is the sort of book to read before going to bed, to take your mind off your own personal problems and take you out of yourself for a short while, and I found the book relaxing and entertaining. I plan to read other novels by this author.

better & better!

Fourth in the Dr. Simon Kirby-Jones series, James has kept his gay American-in-England vampire up to snuff! Simon & Giles are experiencing a week-long medieval festival on the land that Lady Prunella has sold to Murdo Milbank. Milbank has plans to build a medieval banquet hall and tourist attraction on the land, much to the dismay of the village inhabitants. When vampire Tristan Lovelace, Simon's maker and former lover, shows up on his doorstep to attend the festival, things heat up in the village of Snupperton-Mumsley. When a prominent festival re-enactor winds up dead, Simon and Giles make it their business to find the culprit. Another great cozy from James with his unusual protagonist. I look forward to the next.

upbeat amateur sleuth mystery

Taking the pill daily gives vampire Simon Kirby-Jones all the nourishment he needs so he doesn't drink human blood, is able to walks in the sunshine and has heightened senses. The only changes are that he is immortal and is stronger and faster than humans. After he broke up with Professor Tris Lovelace, the vampire that turned him, he moved to Laurel Cottage in the English village of Snupperton Mumsley. He is attracted to his assistant Giles but fears disclosing his feelings in case his cherished one turns away in revulsion when Simon tells him he is a vampire. Tris arrives declaring that he wants Simon wants back. When a medieval fair comes to the village, Simon, Tris, and Giles are present in the tent of Luke de Montfort when the host suddenly dies. Tris believes he was poisoned; Simon throws himself into the investigation to stop thinking about Tris who might have caused Luke's death because he refuses to succumb to blackmail and change Luke into a vampire. There are other suspects who hated Luke; Simon hopes that one of them and not Tris will turn out to be the killer. Dean James has written an upbeat amateur sleuth mystery with a vampire as the hero. Simon has many wonderful qualities and his fear that Giles will turn away from him in horror once he learns the truth about him endears him to the audience. BAKED TO DEATH shows readers what it is like behind the scenes at a medieval fair and how it mimics the real world. Readers will find this charming entertaining and delightful mystery a book to put on the keeper shelf. Harriet Klausner