Vicki Nelson, ex-cop turned PI, witnesses a freaky murder on the streets and finds herself drawn into an underground world of demons and vampires, one of whom, Fitzroy, is fairly hot, and helps her out with her investigation. He also draws graphic novels. He's seen the murdering demon, Astaroth, before, in London in the 1800's, when it was drawn by members of the Hellfire Club. This time it's being drawn by Norman, a geek-gamer who's using dark magic to try to get a hot chick, Coreen, for himself. If the ritual isn't stopped, all hell will break loose--literally.
Vicky is a strong and well-drawn character, not to mention a badass. She quit the police force because of her deteriorating vision--she has retinitis pigmentosa--and I have to wonder where that might lead. It's a bit ironic that she's losing her night vision under the circumstances. All the main characters were strongly written, but some of the guest stars' dialogue was torturously cheesy. The interplay between Vicki and Mike, her ex-boyfriend, and between Vicki and Fitzroy (who, by the way, is an illegitimate son of Henry VIII), is quite good. The villains in this installment, however, were more stereotypical and annoying than truly menacing. Seriously, didn't the whole Dungeons and Dragons (or in this case Everquest) leads to demon worship storyline go out of vogue with legwarmers and big hair? In any case, the show overall was very enjoyable. I think I'll be tuning in to this one on a regular basis.
Casting Note: Gina Holden, who plays Coreen Fennel, also played Haley Collins in Wendigo, from Supernatural season 1. It looks like she's going to be a series regular.
Blood Ties is available at
for download.And don't forget to check out the books by Tanya Huff.
