Desmond by Ulysses S. Dietz

Rating: **** Reviewer: Meg Note: This is first in what hopefully will become a series.

Desmond is a romantic mystery about a vampire who has lived for 250 years comfortably, quietly, and elegantly in a brownstone on the lower east side of New York City. He has managed to come and go without much notice because he ages normally until his 65th birthday. But, when he wakes up the next morning he is 21 all over again. He is careful as he approaches 65, to manufacture a story about a younger relative raised in Europe so that he has cover for his own return. The action takes place in the present (he is currently 40 years old) but has many flashbacks to his earlier history so we learn a lot about the years before and after he became a vampire. We also learn a lot about antiques and jewelry because the author puts a lot of his considerable knowledge as an expert to work in this story. Desmond has amassed a great deal of wealth over the years and much of the furniture and objects' d'art in his apartment were collected in past phases of his many lives. Desmond has it all, wealth, the respect of his human community, a rich educational background, expertise in a number of areas, a best friend from his earliest days, but he is lonely. His heterosexual and extroverted vampire friend lives far off in San Francisco and Desmond sees him only on his occasional business trips to New York. Desmond is introverted and gay and carefully, tentatively is looking for Mr. Right. By accident he meets a young museum curator just starting out on his career after college. Desmond befriends him and the two fall in love. As a sign of friendship, Desmond gives the young man a gold cross on a chain to wear. Unfortunately, someone in New York is killing handsome young men wearing gold crosses and so the vampire story evolves into a mystery. There is suspense and an interesting and sensual take on vampire sexual technique. Desmond and his young friend need some time to adjust to the human/vampire combination but it works out well and their attachment deepens. Although Desmond in someways in the stereotypical angst ridden, reluctant vampire, he is also different from the usual in his desire to live quietly, bookishly, without notoriety. He is in the closet twice, gay and a vampire, two aspects of his life known only to his closest friends. Coming out as a homosexual will take erasure of 250 years of secretive habit and will possibly be a conflict for him in later books. Hopefully there will be a sequel soon.

Other books by this author: The Glitter & the Gold : Fashioning Americas Jewelry The Ballantine House and the Decorative Arts Galleries at the Newark Museum The Newark Museum Collection of American Art Pottery Paul J. Stankard : Homage to Nature