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BAKED TO DEATH brings us back to the Bedfordshire village of Snupperton Mumsley where Simon Kirby-Jones, a gay American vampire, lives in Laurel Cottage, writing mysteries and historical romances under female pseudonyms. His assistant Sir Giles Blitherington would like to be more than just his assistant, but Simon is resisting his obvious attractions. One morning, Giles comes to work in a filthy mood. He lives at Blitherington Hall with his mother, Lady Prunella. Recently, she had sold some of the land attached to the Hall to Murdo Millbank who had promised not to place any commercial attractions on the fields. Much to her chagrin, Millbank has reneged on his promise and a Medieval Faire is about to open within sight and sound of the Hall. Millbank has not only leased the field to the Faire but the next attraction will also be a rock festival. Lady Prunella is livid. (It never takes much to make Lady Prunella livid.) Then, to add to the complications, Professor Tristan Lovelace, Simon's ex-lover and the person who made him a vampire, shows up at Simon's door. He is covering the Faire as a journalist, but he also wants Simon back, after having dropped him three years earlier, giving him Laurel Cottage as consolation. By the way, vampires now take pills so they can seem to be human. They do not have to prey on humans and they can go out during the day as long as they are careful. Giles is, of course, jealous. But Simon doesn't want to tell Giles the truth about his vampirism. Unlike vampires, satire can get old fast, but because this series is also an homage to Agatha Christie and the classic village mystery, it just seems to get better with each book. James even mentions the Society for Creative Anachronism, which is concerned with reenacting the Renaissance.
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, January 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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