VAMP - Loren D. Estleman


Valentino, a UCLA film archivist and occasional detective is helping out a friend who recently bought an old drive-in movie venue. Leo brings in his friend Leo Kalishnikov who is a top-notch theater designer.  But Leo's mind isn't on the job - he's being blackmailed in regards to something from his past. Valentino offers to help Leo but at just about the same time, Valentino is contacted by a stranger who claims to have two reels of the silent film Cleopatra (1917) starring Theda Bara. Finding a film thought to be lost is a film archivist's dream.

But getting ahold of the film would require that Valentino navigates in the dark, underbelly of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, time is running out for his friend Leo. Can Valentino accomplish both missions, successfully?  Can he even stay alive?

Maybe it's not a surprise, given my interest in films, but I've read a surprising number of books (ie: within the last year) about rare/lost films recently. One of these was a book I rather randomly picked up in my local library (Alive!), which, it turns out, is part of this same series featuring Valentino.

Author Loren D. Estleman is clearly a film fan himself or a huge fan of research (possibly both). I followed up on the issues in the book to see that Theda Bara was one of the biggest stars of her time, maybe one of the first sex symbols. And yes, there are no known copies of her film Cleopatra in existence. This historical film-related mystery, complete with history lesson, is actually quite fun.

The mystery surrounding the missing film is rather a side story to the bigger issue of the drive-in restoration and Leo's problems and none of the stories is earth-shattering exciting. It's a solid story, well-written, but the theme and general character of the series are the most interesting aspects of the book.

It's not the first time I've gotten into a series based on the concept (Gigi Pandian's "Accidental Alchemist" series comes immediately to mind) and Estleman's work is certainly strong enough that I'm very interested in reading more in the series (earlier books and future volumes), but it's not a book I'd recommend for the average mystery reader.

Looking for a good book? Vamp by Loren D. Estleman is a mystery with a classic film theme, well researched and well told, though it may not be the most exciting mystery.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Vamp

author: Loren D. Estleman

series: Valentino Mysteries #7

publisher: Forge Books

ISBN: 978-1250892478

hardcover, 256 pages

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