As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by vampires. If the title had anything to do with a vampire or Count Dracula, I would buy it, using what little allowance I had to further my knowledge on the depths of their darkness.
So sometime around 1972, I purchased the novel by Carter Brown called “So What Killed the Vampire?” I was about 12 years old at the time and the picture on the front cover was racy and gave me an instant rush. What could be better than vampires and hot women?
Carter Brown, whose real name was Alan Geoffrey Yates, was an Australian-British author born in 1923. He wrote under several pen names and produced well over 300 different novels during his career with several having elements of horror as a backdrop.
In 1966, he produced this one and I didn’t have anything new on the shelves the other day, so I picked this up and dusted the jacket cover off before rereading it in about 2 hours, cover to cover.
The novels were relatively short and light-hearted, but always had sexy characters and a fast pace to go with a very witty dialogue and a hero that always got the girls. In this one the hero is investigating the murder of an actor who plays the part of a vampire in a low budget movie. The novel is set in an old castle complete with secret passageways and hidden rooms, and even has a curse on it
Unfortunately, the horror pretty much dies at that point as the novel is not designed to scare the wits out of the reader, but rather to make for an entertainingly light read for an adult male. The sex is good, the descriptions are clear, but the formula is predictable.
To my 12 years old eyes, it was a mixed blessing as it introduced me to the world of James Bond-type heroes who get all the women and live to write about it, but there weren’t any real vampires anywhere to be found (to a twelve year old, the phrase “real vampires” is not an oxymoron).
To the reader in the same situation as I was the other day, yearning for a good vampire yarn, I wouldn’t recommend this to curb your appetite. To someone looking for a quick and sexy detective story, however, this is perfect for you, as are many other Carter Brown novels.
So sometime around 1972, I purchased the novel by Carter Brown called “So What Killed the Vampire?” I was about 12 years old at the time and the picture on the front cover was racy and gave me an instant rush. What could be better than vampires and hot women?
Carter Brown, whose real name was Alan Geoffrey Yates, was an Australian-British author born in 1923. He wrote under several pen names and produced well over 300 different novels during his career with several having elements of horror as a backdrop.
In 1966, he produced this one and I didn’t have anything new on the shelves the other day, so I picked this up and dusted the jacket cover off before rereading it in about 2 hours, cover to cover.
The novels were relatively short and light-hearted, but always had sexy characters and a fast pace to go with a very witty dialogue and a hero that always got the girls. In this one the hero is investigating the murder of an actor who plays the part of a vampire in a low budget movie. The novel is set in an old castle complete with secret passageways and hidden rooms, and even has a curse on it
Unfortunately, the horror pretty much dies at that point as the novel is not designed to scare the wits out of the reader, but rather to make for an entertainingly light read for an adult male. The sex is good, the descriptions are clear, but the formula is predictable.
To my 12 years old eyes, it was a mixed blessing as it introduced me to the world of James Bond-type heroes who get all the women and live to write about it, but there weren’t any real vampires anywhere to be found (to a twelve year old, the phrase “real vampires” is not an oxymoron).
To the reader in the same situation as I was the other day, yearning for a good vampire yarn, I wouldn’t recommend this to curb your appetite. To someone looking for a quick and sexy detective story, however, this is perfect for you, as are many other Carter Brown novels.
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