James, Dean: Baked to Death

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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.