Volume 17

www.read-that.com book review

Anita Blake is a medical miracle. Supposedly you are only able to catch one type of lycanthropy and once you do, you become furry once a month at least. Anita carries at least four different flavors and hasn’t shifted yet. She has wolf in her through her tie to the Master of the City and Master, Jean Claude. She also carries leopard from Belle Morte, Jean Claude’s maker. She carries tiger in her from an attack and also from Marmee Noir, the Mother of All Darkness. And not to be last she carries at least one or two more strains from a panwere attack. With Anita there is always more than meets the eye. She is physically gifted even before becoming Jean Claude’s human servant.Her affinity is with anything dead. She can raise zombies that are older than any other necromancer. Since she is a true necromancer. With Anita, work is supposed to come first. While at the office of Animator’s Inc, she was mailed a surprise from a vampire that had gotten away from the police and her. Instead of flowers or chocolates, Vittorio sent Anita the head of the vampire hunter in Las Vegas.

Wanting to wait until her vampire sweeties rise for the night but not wanting to take any more time, Anita leaves by only telling Jean Claude’s pomme de sang, apple of blood, Jason. With Anita’s powers growing, she has gotten another animal to call. She already had a triumvirate with Jean Claude and the Ulfric from the local werewolf pack, Richard. Then she became her own triumvirate with Nathaniel, her leopard to call, and Damien, a century old vampire, who became her vampire servant; which is unheard of.

While Belle Morte wants Anita for her power so does Marmee Noir. The other Masters from all around are sniffing around since they know that there is a fourth mark to be given to Anita but Jean Claude is respecting her wishes and not giving it to her. She is afraid that would make her lose her soul and she isn’t sure that she wants to live like forever. Knowing all the metaphysical stuff that is going on, she still has to leave and help out as a U.S. Marshall. Her friend and fellow Marshall, Edward (Ted) is meeting her there, along with a couple other Marshall that want a piece of the action.

Once she arrives in Vegas, there is testosterone in the air. Many cops don’t think that Anita can fill the shoes that she’s in. They either think that she’s slept her way to the position that she’s in or she is compromised by living with the monsters. Since Jean Claude had her move into the Circus, her reputation has plummeted. Las Vegas PD is no different. For some reason, the police think that either she didn’t tell everything in her reports or that she is intimate with this vampire. After being worked over by the SWAT as to how well she could handle herself in a situation metaphysically and passing all their tests, she was passed on to Vegas PD. Her interrogation didn’t go so well with Undersheriff Shaw or Deputy Morgan either. Once things were finally settled, there was a big, bad, vampire to hunt down.

She also had to contend with Max, the Master of the City in Las Vegas, and his wife, Bibiana, who is also the queen of the weretigers. Bibiana wants Anita’s power since there was an accident before with one of her tigers. Once Anita slept with them and fed the ardeur, they seemed to gain powers. She has to keep control of her beasts and try to catch this vampire before he kills again.

What a read. What an imagination.  I really couldn’t stop reading this one. I am already excited about the next one. I can only say that, as one of the most talented authors, Laurell K Hamilton has not let me down yet. Kudos for her and I hope to read the next one soon.