Victoria Nelson series

1. Blood Price (1991) by Tanya Huff — Art: John Jude Palencar

The Victoria Nelson series, also called the Blood Books or Blood Ties series (title for the TV show) is written by Tanya Huff. There is a companion sequel series titled the Tony Foster series.

Genre and Subgenres

Urban Fantasy for Adults

Series Description

Of the many, classic Urban Fantasy books of the 90's, the Vicki Nelson series holds extremely well. This strong source material lends itself well to revival, from the Canadian TV show "Blood Ties" to the recent reissues of the books themselves. Re-reading Victoria Nelson now, every description of Vicki brings to mind the strong jaw and dry sense of humor of her televised incarnation, adding to the experience of the re-read. ~ All Things Urban Fantasy

Lead's Species

Human

Primary Supe

Paranormal PI, Vampires

What Sets it Apart

Features an unusual heroine who is a strong-willed, competent woman with a physical weakness failing eyesight) who is neither a damsel in distress, or a kickass undefeatable chick.The characters all feel very real, very natural–Vicki was very believable, strong and unabashedly a very real person.

Narrative Type and Narrators

Third person narrative from multiple perspectives. Throughout the series the primary narrators are Vicky Nelson, Henry Fitzroy, and Mike Celluci with the odd asides from secondary characters Tony Foster and Greg the security guard. In individual books the antagonist(s) also have recurring roles in the narration as do other plot-related characters (usually victims of the week) to a lesser degree.

Books in Series

Victoria Nelson series—aka Blood Books:

Blood Price (1991)
Blood Trail (1992)
Blood Lines (1993)
Blood Pact (1993)
Blood Debt (1997)
Blood Bank (2008) ~ collection of shorts — Final

Shorts, Anthologies and Guides

"See Me", Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives (2011) — Tony Foster series (Tony Foster)
“Blood Wrapped”, Many Bloody Returns (2007) — Henry Fitzroy #8.5 (Henry, Vicki)
"No Matter Where You Go", Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters — (Vicki Nelson)
"Songs Sung Red", Wild Side, The (2011) (Vicki, Mike)
"No Matter Where You Go", Vampires: The Recent Undead (2011) — (Vicki Nelson)
"If Wishes Were", Shadowed Souls (2016) -- (Vicki, Mike)
6. Blood Bank (2008) — collection of shorts (Vicki, Henry, Mike)

Companion Series or Spinoffs

Tony Foster series
Henry Fitzroy series — includes all of the six Blood Books, the three Tony Foster books, plus books and shorts about Hery Fitzroy, mostly historical tales. (Goodreads)

Other Series by Author Onsite

World Building

Setting

Toronto, Canada
London, Ontario farm

Places:

Kingston: location of mom's funeral

Supernatural Elements

✥ Paranormal PI, Vampire, demons, sorcerers, werewolves, mummies, Frankenstein-like zombies, mad-scientist, ghosts, werewolf hunters, silver bullets, weird science, wannabe Doctor Frankensteins, grimoire, dark magic, Egyptology

Glossary:

Grimoire: ancient book; Henry Fitzroy has one;

Groups & Organizations:

Queen's University Life Science Department

World

Henry, Vicky, Mike - TV — Left to Right: Kyle Schmid as Henry Fitzroy, Christina Cox as Vicky Nelson and Dylan Neal as Mike Celluci

Protagonists

✥ Victoria “Victory” Nelson was a police detective—and an extremely good one. Her nickname wasn't just a play on her name, it was an acknowledgement of her extreme skill. She and her partner, Mike Celucci, had a competitive, almost antagonistic but deeply connected relationship as they solved case after case. Then Vicky developed a degenerative eye condition. Her peripheral vision is shrinking and her night vision has reduced to almost nothing–and it will get worse and worse until she is blind. Facing this, Vicky quits her job because she will not accept a lowering of her performance or record and becomes a private investigator. Mike stays on as her contact, her friend, her sex partner – and someone she has marvellous blazing rows with.

As a private detective she stumbles upon the supernatural world–in particular she runs across Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VIII, romance novel writer–and vampire. The two start investigating increasing supernatural occurrences that threaten Toronto, her with her vast experience and skills as a detective with his age, experience and knowledge of the supernatural world. ~ Fangs For the Fantasy

✥ Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VIII, romance novel writer–and vampire. The two start investigating increasing supernatural occurrences that threaten Toronto, her with her vast experience and skills as a detective with his age, experience and knowledge of the supernatural world. Vicky is ~ Fangs For the Fantasy

✥ Mike Celucci: Police detective, former partner and ex-lover. Viki gets his aid on the case of a demon menace and she may find herself renewing her stormy relationship him.

Sidekick

Name: Henry Fitzroy — What: vampire — Sidekick-to: Victoria Nelson — About: romance author; Bastard son of Henry VIII — Book First Seen In: Blood Price in Victoria Nelson series

Characters Chart

Resources: Blood Books Series ~ Shelfari

Characters	What	About
Vicki Nelson (Victory)	private investigator	protagonist; Former Toronto cop; left the force b/c she's going blind.
Henry Fitzroy	vampire, romance author	Illegitimate son of Henry VIII; has knowledge of non-mortal realms acquired over centuries; learned to master his insatiable vampire needs; 450 year old;
Mike Celluci	Police detective	Viki's former police partner and ex-lover
Norman Birdwell	college student, geek	raising demons to seek revenge on all of those who have laughed at him; antagonist in book one.
Tony Foster	gay prostitute	grew up on the street; age 19; Vicki's friend; Henry's companion later in series;
Coreen Fennel	murder victim's girlfriend	hires Vicki to investigate his, Ian Reddick's death
Astaroth	powerful demon	wants to bring about a Hell on Earth
Ian Reddick	murder victim	first to be murdered, drained of blood; girlfriend: Coreen Fennel;
Christina	vampire	"made" Henry;
Ginevra Treschi	human	Henry's lover in the past;
Terri Neal	Second murder victim;	also drained of blood

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column. Or, in Source Mode: copy-paste rows.

Author

Tanya Huff

Website: Live the Dream - I finally post about Germany and RingCon! (part one)
Fan site: BloodTiesCentral.com
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Horror-UF, Detective UF, Humor UF, Fantasy, Sci-Fantasy, SciFi,

Bio: Tanya Huff lives and writes in rural Ontario with her partner Fiona Patton. She has a degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University. She's written many novels, a Ravensloft book for TSR, and has three collections of short stories. Except for the Ravensloft book (Scholar of Decay) all her books are still in print and available -- don't let bookstores tell you they aren't. Several of her works have been nominated for the Aurora Award. She was on the jury for the 2000 Philip K. Dick Award. For eight years (1984-1992) she worked at Bakka, North America's oldest SF bookstore, managing it for part of that time. She writes the occassional book review for Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper, not minding the fact it's only occassional because she just so damned pleased they're reviewing genre books at all. During 2000, she wrote regular columns for the Toronto magazine, Realms. Her greatest claim to fame is that she makes her living with mortgage, cars and cats, totally from writing and does no other work and has never received any kind of a grant -- although she will admit to cashing the Public Lending Rights check every year so it's not like she has any moral objections to taking government money. It's a great life. ~ Tanya Huff ~ FF

Full Bio: BloodTiesCentral - Tanya Huff Biography

Cover Artist

Artist: John Jude Palencar — source: ISFdb: Cover: Blood Price (DAW Books)

Artist: Sam Hadley — source: ISFdb: Cover: Blood Price (Orbit)

Artist: Claudio Marinesco (DAW, 2014 reprint) — source: ISFdb: Cover: Blood Lines

Awards

Publishing Information

Publisher: DAW, Orbit, Penguin (reprints)
Author Page: Tanya Huff - Penguin Books USA

Original:

Bk-1—Blood Price: Paperback, 272 pages, Pub: May 7th 1991—ISBN 0886774713
Bk-2—Blood Trail: Paperback, 304 pages, Pub: Feb 4th 1992—ISBN 0886775027
Bk-3—Blood Lines: Puberback, 272 pages, Pub: Jan 1st 1993—ISBN 0886775302
Bk-4—Blood Pact: Paperback, 336 pages, Pub: Nov 1st 1993—ISBN 0886775825
Bk-5—Blood Debt: Paperback, 336 pages, Pub: May 1st 1997—ISBN 0886777399

re-release:

Bk-1: Paperback, 336 pages, Pub: Oct 7th 2004—ISBN 1841493562
Bk-2: Paperback, 352 pages, Pub: Nov 4th 2004—ISBN 1841493570
Bk-3: Paperback, 368 pages, Pub: Nov 4th 2004—ISBN 1841493589
Bk-4: Paperback, 384 pages, Pub: Dec 2nd 2004—ISBN 1841493597
Bk-5: Paperback, 368 pages, Pub: Dec 2nd 2004—ISBN 1841493600

re-release: 2014

Bk-1: Paperback, 272 pages, Pub: June 4th 2013 by DAW—ISBN 0756408407
Bk-2: Paperback, 272 pages, Pub: Oct 1st 2013—ISBN 0756408423
Bk-3: Paperback, 272 pages, Pub: Feb 4th 2014—ISBN 0756408482
Bk-4: Paperback, 288 pages, Pub: June 3rd 2014—ISBN 0756408490
Bk-5: Paperback, 288 pages, Pub: Oct 7th 2014—ISBN 0756408504

Book Cover Blurbs

✤ BOOK ONE—Blolood Trail (1991): Vicky Nelson is a private investigator. She used to be one heck of a murder detective for the Toronto police, but deteriorating eyesight and her stubborn-ness led her to leave her true calling. A killer is stalking Toronto and the first victim's girlfriend hired Vicky to find the killer, since she doesn't believe the police are looking in the right places. Vicky's ex-partner (and ex-lover) Mike Celluci is in charge of the investigation and does not appreciate her "help". A chance encounter pairs Vicky with Henry FitzRoy--Romance Writer, Vampire and bastard son of Henry VIII as they hunt what appears, despite the impossiblity, to be a demon. ~ Goodreads | Blood Price (1991—Victoria Nelson, #1)

✦ 2004: Vicki Nelson PI, former Toronto homicide cop, witnesses the first of many vicious attacks. She renews her tempestuous relationship with police partner Mike Celluci, who does not get along with another ally. Henry Fitzroy is the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, a vampire on the side of good. Also TV Blood Ties tie-ins. ~ Goodreads | Blood Price (2004—Victoria Nelson, #1)

✤ BOOK TWO—Blood Trail (1992): The unique investigative duo from Blood Price--P.I. Vicki Nelson and 450-year-old vampire Henry Fitzroy--once again join forces to solve a crime of supernatural proportions in modern-day Canada. As silver bullets take their toll, Vicki and Henry fear they won't be able to stop a crazed killer. ~ Goodreads | Blood Trail (1992—Victoria Nelson, #2) by Tanya Huff

✦ 2004: For centuries, the werewolves of Toronto have managed to live in peace and tranquility, hidden quietly away on their London, Ontario farm. But now, someone has learned their secret—and is systematically massacring this ancient race.

The only one they can turn to is Henry Fitzroy, Toronto-based vampire and writer of bodice rippers. Forced to hide from the light of day, Henry can’t hunt the killer alone, so he turns to Vicki Nelson for help. As they race against time to stop the murderer, they begin to fear that their combined talents may not be enough to prevent him from completing his deadly plan. ~ Goodreads | Blood Trail (2004—Vicki Nelson, #2)

✤ BOOK THREE—Blood Lines (1993): 1993 & 2004: Sealed away through unending centuries in a sarcophagus never meant to be opened, he had patiently waited for the opportunity to live again, for the chance to feed on the unwary and grow strong. Now, at last, the waiting had come to an end. Brought to the Egyptology Department of Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum, the seals and spells that imprisoned him chipped away by his discoverers, he reached forth to claim the minds and souls of the unsuspecting city dwellers, to begin building an empire for himself and his god. And only three people had even a hint that anything was wrong.

For Henry Fitzroy, 450-year-old vampire, it began with a haunting, inescapable image of the sun, a terrifying symbol of death to one such as he. Fearing for his sanity, he called upon his sometime-lover and comrade in supernatural investigations, ex-cop Vicki Nelson, for help. And even as the two struggled to cope with Henry's obsession, Vicki's closest friend and former partner, Police Detective Mike Celluci was following up on two mysterious deaths at the museum, certain he was looking at murders not accidents - and equally convinced that the killer was a mummy brought back from the dead! ~ Goodreads | Blood Lines (1993—Vicki Nelson #3) ~ Goodreads | Blood Lines (2004)

✤ BOOK FOUR—Blood Pact (1993): It began with the call no daughter ever wants to get, the call that told private investigator Vicki Nelson her mother had died. Mrs. Nelson's coworker at the Queen's University Life Science Department told Vicki that the cause of death was a heart attack, and that they'd be waiting for her to arrive in Kingston to make the funeral arrangements. But what started as an all too normal personal tragedy soon became the most terrifying case of Vicki's career. For when Marjory Nelson's body mysteriously disappeared from the funeral home, Vicki, her sometime lover and fellow investigator, vampire Henry Fitzroy, and her former homicide squad partner, Detective-Sergeant Mike Celluci, realized that there was something unnatural about her mother's demise. Vicki swore she'd find the culprit, and see that her mother was properly laid to rest. But what she hadn't counted on was that someone at Queen's University seemed determined to keep Mrs. Nelson on the job—alive or dead! ~ Goodreads | Blood Pact (1993—Vicki Nelson #4) — Goodreads | Blood Pact (2004)

✤ BOOK FIVE—Blood Debt (1997): Henry Fitzroy, vampire, writer, and bastard son of Henry VIII, had survived for centuries by obeying the vampire's code. He did not slaughter needlessly, did not draw attention to himself, and never invaded another vampire's territory. But now Henry was about to do the unthinkable. He was going to break the code. — It began when Henry woke to the twilight—and the discovery that a ghost had invaded his inner sanctum. This was the start of a dangerous nightly game. Henry was allowed to ask one question of his mysterious visitor. If the answer was no, someone—innocent and unsuspecting—would die. It soon became clear that what this wraith—and the others who eventually joined it—wanted was revenge on those responsible for killing them.

Henry could not find the source of these murders on his own, nor could he ignore his unwanted guests. He had only one choice—to call private investigator Vicki Nelson and ask for help. Henry only hoped that he and Vicki would both survive the experience... ~ Goodreads | Blood Debt (Vicki Nelson, #5) by Tanya Huff

✤ BOOK SIX—Blood Bank (2008)—Collection: The Blood books center around three main characters: Vicki Nelson, a homicide cop turned private detective, her former partner Mike Celluci, who is still on the force, and vampire Henry Fitzroy, who is the illegitimate son of Henry VIII and makes his living as a writer of bodice rippers. Not only are the three of them caught in a love triangle, but they are, time and again, involved in mysteries with a supernatural slant—from demons, to werewolves, to mummies—and inevitably must join forces to solve crimes and defeat supernatural enemies. Now all of Tanya Huff's short stories about Henry, Vicki, and Mike are being released in this collection entitled Blood Bank. As an added bonus for fans of the TV series, Blood Bank includes the actual screenplay for "Stone Cold," the episode Tanya herself wrote for the Blood Ties series along with a special introduction by Tanya, detailing her own experiences with the show. ~ Goodreads | Blood Bank (Vicki Nelson #6)

First Sentences

Blood Price (1991): Ian shoved his hands deep in his pockets and scowled down the length of the empty subway platform.
Blood Trail (1992): The three-quarters moon, hanging low in the night sky, turned even tamed and placid farmland into a mysterious landscape of silver light and shadows.
Blood Lines (1993): He had been almost aware for some time.
Blood Pact (1993): "Mrs. Simmons?"
Blood Debt (1997): "How are you feeling?"