Blood Trail: Victory Nelson Private Investigator: Otherworldly Crimes a Specialty

by
Tanya Huff

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Blood Trail

From the Publisher

The unique investigative duo from Blood Price--P.I. Vicki Nelson and 450-year-old vampire Henry Fitzroy--once again join forces to solve a crime of supernatural proportions in modern-day Canada. As silver bullets take their toll, Vicki and Henry fear they won't be able to stop a crazed killer.

About the Author

Tanya Huff Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Tanya Huff was raised in Kingston, Ontario, where she also attended high school. After graduating high school, Huff spent three years in the Canadian Naval Reserve, from 1975 to 1979 as a cook. She received a degree in Radio and Television Arts (B.A.A.) from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. After graduating college, Huff spent eight years working at Bakka, from 1985 to 1992. During those eight years, while working full-time, she wrote seven books, and nine short stories. Since 1986, Huff has published eighteen novels and numerous short stories. She also sold TV script outlines to a television show called Captain Lonestar, while still in its developmental stage.

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Blood Trail

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Details of Book:

Blood Trail

Book:
Blood Trail: Victory Nelson Private Investigator: Otherworldly Crimes a Specialty
Author:Tanya Huff
ISBN:0886775027
ISBN-13:9780886775025, 978-0886775025
Binding: Paperback
Publishing Date: -
Publisher: Penguin US
Number of Pages: - pages
Language: English

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Book Reviews of Blood Trail: Victory Nelson Private Investigator: Otherworldly Crimes a Specialty

Minor point, big issue

I did enjoy this book, to an extent. In this novel Vicki and Herny travel to London, Ontario (I did not know there was a London in Canada!) to investigate a slew of werewolf deaths. The `whodunnit' is intriguing and well-crafted, the werewolf mythology is smart and fresh, and some wonderful secondary characters are introduced...
BUT, there was one minor point I had a big problem with, and that's what is influencing this entire review.

In `Blood Price' a character called Tony Foster was introduced. He is a nineteen-year-old `street kid' who Vicki knew in her previous life as a cop. She first met Tony when he was 15, and has used him as her eyes and ears on the street, while also trying to look after him. Many times Vicki laments Tony's situation, especially because he's been prone to hooking when money is tight and she's concerned about AIDS. In `Blood Price' Vicki was forced to introduce Tony to Henry... and when `Blood Trail' opens we learn that Henry has gone beyond that initial meeting to become Tony's lover, landlord and employer - all in exchange for Tony's blood donations.
Ummm... I wasn't okay with that.

For one thing: Tony and Henry having a sexual relationship before Vicki and Henry sort of deflated the sexual tension for me. Especially because for the five months between `Blood Price' and `Blood Trail', Henry has been refusing Vicki's advances - blaming it on the injuries she received at the end of `Blood Price'. Henry claims he is waiting for Vicki to recover from her blood loss... yet for five months he's been (presumably?) having sex and taking blood from Tony?

The other `ick' for me was the fact that Vicki and Tony are friends - but their friendship borders very close to a maternal relationship, at least according to my interpretation. Vicki has been looking out for Tony since he was 15, and Tony has likewise looked up to Vicki as an icon of sorts.
At one point Vicki muses on the fact that Tony has matured since meeting Henry, and that her and Tony's dynamic feels less child/adult and more adult/adult in recent months. And yet, it's still a case of (for me) one of Vicki's friends screwing around with the guy she's had her eye on. Not cool! True, in `Blood Trail' Vicki and Henry have not had sex yet, so Tony was technically there first... but Tanya Huff set Vicki and Henry up as the main focus of the series.

I was further frustrated by all this Vicki/Henry/Tony stuff because Tanya Huff mentions it in passing, and so casually. There's a `blink and you'll miss it' scene in which we learn of Henry and Tony's sex life - and I had to go back and re-read because I was so shell-shocked by it.

I was even less okay with Vicki's reaction to the news. It was the sort of bomb that once dropped I wanted Vicki to deconstruct and analyse, but she didn't.
Vicki, remaining true to her character, is less upset about Tony and Henry's sexual relationship, and more insulted that Henry has done what she couldn't ... get Tony off the streets.
It got to the point where, the Tony/Henry revelation was so fascinating to me, and I felt such indignation on Vicki's behalf, that I desperately wanted Vicki to address the issue and get properly annoyed with Henry. But she didn't. And the more the topic was avoided and never again alluded to, the more frustrated I got... to the point where I think I kept reading, purely in the hopes that there would be a huge explosive confrontation... But there wasn't. Huff does not address the pink elephant/vampire in the book.

Perhaps I could have dealt with my Henry/Tony issues if it became glaringly obvious that any relationship with Tony wouldn't get in the way of Henry's feelings for Vicki... except, the opposite happens in `Blood Trail'.

I was let down by Henry and Vicki's first lovemaking. They finally have sex halfway through the book, Huff having masterfully built up tension and attraction - but it's a very slap-dash coupling that feels almost seedy;

To be fair, it's not in Vicki's character to be all gooey and sentimental, not even post-coitus. But Henry is a romance writer, and he's from a time when there really were knights in shining armour. Sure, four hundred years may have hardened him to the world and being undead would certainly impact his personality... but this scene just felt so mechanical and unemotional.
Nor did it help that in the lead-up to the sex, Henry's sole motivation was hunger. He needed to feed, and since he can't feed from werewolves Vicki was meal... he makes no mention of wanting her for her, but only for her blood supply. I know vampires are cold, but that is just ridiculous.
Honestly, I thought Henry and Tony's post-coitus talk was far more romantic. But if Henry and Vicki are supposed to be the main attraction, (of *this* series) shouldn't it be the other way around? At this point I am actually wondering why Tony and Henry aren't the HEA of this series?

With `Blood Trail' I came to understand those modern reviewers who warned people off this series for its lack of smut.
I don't like smut for smut's sake (hello Laurell K Hamilton!) but sex scenes can often communicate a deeper attraction between characters than can be interpreted from dialogue, interaction etc. I think this book really would have benefited from some descriptive sex scenes. Because reading it, I thought; `Henry only wants Vicki for her blood. Vicki only wants Henry for his body. End of attraction' - and I'm really not sure if that's what Huff intended? And if it is... then why do I care about these characters and their relationship?

To be fair, I am only 2 books into this series. Henry is still very much the mysterious vampire - though we do garner a few more bits and pieces of his life (like his time as a spy in WWII). Henry is still developing, and Vicki and Henry's relationship is still fresh... I'm sure there's more progress to come.

Furthermore, I think Huff is trying to avoid clich�s. Typically vampire characters fall into one of two categories - monster or lover. Writers either go the route of blood-sucking fiends, or neck-sucking Lotharios. I can appreciate that Huff is writing in Henry a vampire who is a bit more grounded in reality. He's not sentimental - he has numerous lovers and doesn't really intend to get too close to any of them. But still, when Vicki is already such a hard-nut character, equally allergic to `relationships', it's too much cold indifference for one coupledom. Especially since this is a series, and as readers we're supposed to root for Vicki/Henry enough to want to read more of them, see if they get a happy ending etc, etc, etc.

I wasn't particularly fond of this book, which is a shame after `Blood Price' impressed me so much. The `whodunnit' of `Blood Trail' is brilliant. The werewolf mythology is wonderful and unique, and I enjoyed the introduction of some new secondary characters. But the big pit-fall for me lay in the development (or lack thereof) of Vicki and Henry, both as individuals, and as a couple.

What Comes After Vampires? ......Werewolves of Course!

Ex-cop turned private investigator, Vicki Nelson, returns once again to solve another supernatural case along with Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VIII and vampire. And of course the only logical choice after vampires is...you guessed it, werewolves! Someone has been picking off the unsuspecting one by one. With their family being murdered in cold blood and no clues to the killer's identity the wer turn to old friend Henry Fitzroy. Needing eyes in the daylight and police expertise Henry calls in his friend and sometime partner, Vicki. Together they set out to uncover the murder and bring him to justice before it's too late.

As with the first book in Tanya Huff's Blood Books series I enjoyed Blood Trail. Though it is an easy short read and Huff's writing isn't masterful the story is still entertaining. The rising action and mystery of the case kept me turning pages. Though I enjoy more serious writers and more difficult text Blood Trail was a nice reprieve and simply fun to read. Anyone who enjoyed the first book and/or the television series--Blood Ties--will certainly enjoy this second installment!

THE WEREWOLVES OF LONDON (ONTARIO)

BLOOD TRAIL is the second book in the thoroughly enjoyable Blood (Ties) series. As a fan of the TV show I was thrilled to discover this 5 part series of books and except for the absence of cell phones you won't be able to tell they were written in 1991. Once more I was impressed by author Tanya Huffs writing as she expertly weaves together multiple storylines and POV's creating a fun, action filled paranormal mystery. We even get a little romance this time (although it remains fade-to-black) as ex-cop turned P.I Vicki Nelson again joins forces with 400 year old romance author and vampire Henry Fitzroy. Throw in Vickie's jealous former partner Mike Celluci, a family of sheep farming werewolves and a crazed sniper with religious issues and you've got yourself the makings of a great story.

Vicki is a strong willed and very likable character who lives in the real world with the rest of us however ever since she met Henry and battled a demon in the last book she has also come to accept the world of the paranormal. It doesn't take much for her to accept a family of werewolves as her next case. It seems someone has discovered the Heerken's secret and has been hunting and killing pack members while they attend to their flocks of sheep. Of course they can't go to the police so investigator Vicki Nelson is their only hope. Huff's descriptions of Wer behaviour are well done here to the point that I felt she must have done research on real werewolves as she gives us often hilarious look at their possessiveness issues, politics, pack hierarchy and other social behaviours. All the while the neighbours just assume they're nudists with lots of big dogs to keep strangers away.

Because of Vicki's night blindness she takes Henry with her to the Ontario farm. This works to her advantage as Henry can patrol nights while she finds clues and tries to discover the sniper's identity during the day. Henry and Vicki continue to have an aura of sexual tension which eventually reaches a breaking point after Henry is injured and forced to feed. Vicki is more than willing to accommodate him and this only gets further complicated when Mike suddenly arrives at the farm. It seems after doing some investigation he's now convinced Henry's involved in organized crime. There's lots of snappy dialogue as the three fight off the sniper, angry werewolves and each other.

For the most part this was a fast paced and entertaining read with the storyline between Henry, Vicki and Mike continuing to develop throughout. Although I felt the story lagged in the middle it was still a great read that I would recommend to any paranormal junkies. Cheers.

Another strong Vicki Nelson book.

Another strong Vicki Nelson book. We get a new paranormal element in
this book in the form of werewolves. Not as good as the first book.
*SPOILER* I really hate the cliche religious wacko characters that
authors sometimes use. I find them insulting to all readers.

Twisted Werewolf Society

Canada's supernatural is further revealed to a former homicide detective - and current private investigator - in this second instalment of the Vicki Nelson series. Whereas BLOOD PRICE dealt with demons (as well as introducing continuing vampire character Henry Fitzroy), BLOOD TRAIL explores the society of werewolves in rural Ontario.

In short, it's twisted: even in human form, wer behaviour is quite animalistic - the growling, the possessiveness...and the high risk of incest. It makes for uncomfortable reading as Vicki and Henry settle on a London farm to find out who's been killing Pack members. Religion is an issue, and it's not surprising that there are gun-toting Americans. Since I'm unfamiliar with 1992 North American life, I can't be certain whether that's social commentary or not, but it sure is in 2008.

Vicki's a wily, likeable character, with a medical condition that makes her stand out from the archetypal urban fantasy heroines populating the genre with their sameness. But I much prefer homicide detective Mike Celluci to Henry, for the simple reason that Mike seems real to me - and not just for his Italian swears. Readers are probably supposed to fancy the vampire, but Henry lacks spark. His flashbacks don't add much to the novel except for pages, and the scenes from the killer's perspective spoil the element of mystery. Thus this paranormal procedural lacks thrills, and whilst the world-building is original, the overall novel left me feeling nonplussed.

Source - Amazon

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