The Crimson Crimes - a vampire revenge (Crimson, #5)

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The Crimson Crimes - a vampire revenge (Crimson, #5)

by Patricia K. McCarthy (Goodreads Author)

3.2 of 5 stars 3.20 · rating details · 5 ratings · 3 reviews

It’s the dead of night in the dead of winter, and bodies have been found, stacked ceiling-high, in a hillside cave in Ottawa’s Strathcona Park; necks pierced, blood drained – the usual. The city is gripped by a dusk-till-dawn curfew. The press, police and public have whipped each other into a glorious panic over someone or something called the “Vampire Undertaker.” Well, w...more

Paperback, 308 pages

Published June 29th 2012 by PKM Publications

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Sep 20, 2012 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Samuel Crimson is a hybrid vampire (half human, half vampire). His father Sir William Hennessy, the only vampire in existance, wanted to create a new hybrid race of vampires by biting pregnant women in their 9th month of pregnancy which is how Samuel came to be what he is. Prior to Sir William's death, he changed Samuel's wife Magdalene into a vampire. Now Magdalene is the one true vampire in existence, thus making her the supreme ruler.

When Sir William's hiding place for his victims becomes com...more Samuel Crimson is a hybrid vampire (half human, half vampire). His father Sir William Hennessy, the only vampire in existance, wanted to create a new hybrid race of vampires by biting pregnant women in their 9th month of pregnancy which is how Samuel came to be what he is. Prior to Sir William's death, he changed Samuel's wife Magdalene into a vampire. Now Magdalene is the one true vampire in existence, thus making her the supreme ruler.

When Sir William's hiding place for his victims becomes compromised, Samuel along with Magdalene and their closest friends Kevin and Derek Coffey and David Three Rats set out to remove and bury the bodies before they are discovered by police. Unfortunately, things don't go as expected, putting them in more danger. Also, Cain, Samuel's half-brother, is out to exact revenge against Samuel for the death of their half-brother Raven since Samuel is the one that killed him.

When I read up on this book prior to signing up with the tour, the information that I found stated that the book, although book five in the series, can be read as a standalone novel. Maybe it's because I've yet to read the first four books, but I don't agree with that. It really felt to me as if it was a continuation, though you are given some pertinent information to catch you up to speed with what is going on at the moment. Plus, by the end of the book there is no resolution to any of the things going on in the book. My guess is that some or all will be resolved in the next book.

Now, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I've read a lot of vampire related stories since becoming a fan of reading. I love when authors come up with their own take on vampires. I would be bored if all vampires in every book ever written were all the same. So I thought it interesting that there seemed to be only one true vampire in existence at a time in this book. Sure, there are hybrids but they don't exist in the same way that a true vampire does. In The Crimson Crimes, a true vampire needs blood to survive, they don't sleep ... ever, and they can't be captured on film. However, that is not the case with a hybrid. Hybrid's can live without blood but not food, they sleep, and they can be photographed. For Magdalene, not being able to sleep keeps her from experiencing the dreaming stones which allows the user to travel through time within their dreams and see past or future events.

At the beginning of the book the author warns about strong language and rudeness, etc. Had I not read that in advance, I might have been a bit shocked by some of the language at first, but none of that bothered me. About the only thing that annoyed me a bit was when it felt like I was reading driving instructions. I wouldn't have minded if it only happened once, but it seemed like any time the characters were on the road or discussing where they were going and how they were going to get there, it seemed to consist of detailed instructions on how to get from one point to another.

I do feel the book is well written and very interesting. I am curious about the previous books and of course the next one because I would very much like to know how the situations in The Crimson Crimes play out.

**I received a copy of The Crimson Crimes from the author in exchange for a review.**(less)

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Oct 11, 2012 Abria Mattina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, canadian-fiction, review-2012, unfinished-series

Samuel Crimson and his wife Magdalene have a problem: their stash of corpses is on the verge of being discovered. Thus begins The Crimson Crimes, with the Crimsons and their partners in crime — Derek, Kevin, and David Three Rats — bagging skeletons for removal in the dead of night. This clean up operation doesn’t go as smoothly as planned, sending the characters into new depths of trouble at every turn.
I liked The Crimson Crimes as a story, but as a book I struggled with every page. I think that...more Samuel Crimson and his wife Magdalene have a problem: their stash of corpses is on the verge of being discovered. Thus begins The Crimson Crimes, with the Crimsons and their partners in crime — Derek, Kevin, and David Three Rats — bagging skeletons for removal in the dead of night. This clean up operation doesn’t go as smoothly as planned, sending the characters into new depths of trouble at every turn.
I liked The Crimson Crimes as a story, but as a book I struggled with every page. I think that the potential greatness of the storyline is undercut by the writing style. Written in long, convoluted sentences with far too many — often superfluous — subclauses that distract the reader and obscure meaning, this is a novel that demands careful attention to understand. Between adverb overload and use of rare words, The Crimson Crimes is composed with a style and vocabulary high above the norm in genre fiction — and that’s where it alienates its audience.

The language and sentence structure tends to get simpler as the book goes on, once the scene-setting of Part I is complete and background stories are established. But by the time I got that far I was already so fed up with having to reread sentences and paragraphs to get the point, that I had a hard time enjoying the rest of the book.

The Crimson Crimes contains erotic elements, but these I found largely dissatisfying. The pacing and placement of intimate scenes was excellent, but I’m a firm believer that the time to show off one’s extensive vocabulary is not during a sex scene. Words like “vaginal walls” and “cervix” aren’t all that sexy. Their use made the intimate scenes read like driving directions.

I was also confused by the inconsistent use of dingbats. In some places they merely mark a dramatic pause or a short passage of time before the narrative resumes in the same place, focusing on the same characters. In other places, dingbats are used to mark shifts between characters and locations. It was a little disorienting, never knowing whether a dingbat was meant to signal a full stop or a brief pause.

What I do have to give The Crimson Crimes points for is that McCarthy knows how to write suspense. When things go wrong in this novel, they go spectacularly wrong, and it keeps the reader on the edge with superb pacing. I’m familiar with almost all of the locations mentioned in this book, but a lot of the time I found myself trying to block that out. The Crimson Crimes is set in Ottawa, which isn’t often used as a setting in crime novels. As the capital city, Ottawa has an interesting mix of old European charm and Canadian modernity. It’s a rather refined urban centre, and I think that’s what made it difficult for me, as a local, to suspend disbelief. If it had been set in a place like Hamilton (often used as a stand-in for downtown Detroit in movies and TV shows), I wouldn’t have had a problem. There’s something about Ottawa that just doesn’t lend itself to murder.

Because The Crimson Crimes is part of a series, the ending didn’t have a firm conclusion. This is no big deal if you intend to read the entire series, but I wouldn’t recommend experiencing The Crimson Crimes as a standalone. It’s a quirky book, definitely refreshing for fans of vampire fiction who have read it all. I’d recommend it to fans of vampire paranormals — it just takes a little patience to get through.(less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

“This is the newest Crimson novel. It’s a little dark, like a classic vampire horror movie with a diabolical villain. The double-cliffhanger is so well written that I could see these Crimson novels as Hollywood movies. I really didn’t want the story to end. Would love to meet Samuel and Magdalene Crimson and party with the Coffey boys or drink rum with Auntie! After I finished it, I started re-reading this series all over again – awesome vampire erotica! ”

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May 12, 2013 Lexi added it

Shelves: moms-want-to-read

Jan 18, 2013 Louise Perrier rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jan 06, 2013 Squib2012 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculative-fiction

Jan 06, 2013 Johanne marked it as to-read-next-up

Shelves: supernatural-fiction, canadian-lit, erotica, local-authors

Nov 01, 2012 Mary A. marked it as to-read

Oct 19, 2012 Karen Arrowood marked it as to-read

Oct 11, 2012 Jennifer marked it as to-read

Oct 11, 2012 Lisa Cox marked it as to-read

Oct 08, 2012 Diantha Jones marked it as to-read

Oct 07, 2012 Brittany Poole marked it as to-read

Oct 03, 2012 Kimberly McFarland marked it as to-read

Jul 19, 2012 Sapphyria marked it as to-read

Jul 15, 2012 Ashley Williams marked it as to-read

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About Patricia K. McCarthy

Author of the wildly imaginative Crimson vampire series, currently consisting of (5) novels: The Crimson Man, The Crimson Boy, The Crimson Woman, The Crimson Time and the newest The Crimson Crimes, released in 2012. The sixth in the series The Crimson Dream will be released in 2014. The Crimson vampire series takes place in the city of Ottawa, Canada and has been described as sensual, gin and toni...more

More about Patricia K. McCarthy...

Books by Patricia K. McCarthy

The Crimson Man - a fantasy (Crimson, #1)

The Crimson Boy - a fantasy continued (Crimson, #2)

The Crimson Woman - a fantasy realized (Crimson, #3)

The Crimson Time - a vampire crawl (Crimson, #4)

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