The Laughing Corpse

Stupidity isnt punishable by death. If it was, there would be a hell of a population drop. Theres no particular reason I chose this quote from the book to start out this review other than I thought it was funny. So sue me.

This book starts only a few weeks after the first book, Guilty Pleasures, ended.

Anita Blake begins by meeting a potential new client in need of her animator skills. Too bad this client is a murderous millionaire who doesnt care who gets hurt, as long as his zombie is raised. As if that isnt bad enough, she is also working a case with the local police, trying to figure out what type of creature is ripping apart familiesliterally. And one of her suspects? Just the most powerful voodoo priestess in all of North America, who just so happens to want Anita to join her in herless than savory enterprises, and is willing to make her do so by any means necessary. And if that wasnt enough problems, she also happens to be oh so close to being the new Master of the Citys human servant. Very much unwillingly.

Murder, mayhem, voodoo, and sexy vampires. What more could a girl ask for? Some peace and quiet, if you ask Anita.

I really enjoyed this book, easily as much as the first in this series. Anita is still a tough badass, and there are still so many great, rich characters, that you dont really get bored at any point in this story, especially with poor Anita having problem after problem thrown at her.

Anita also finds out that she is much more powerful in regards to being an animator than expected, and in a most gruesome way too. It makes you excited to see where just that alone can lead this series. The possibilities are endless.

Something else that I like about these books, other than the great writing and non-stop (yet realistic) action throughout the story, is that, while not necessarily a stand-alone, these books dont end on a cliffhanger either. Yes, they leave you with knowing that there is more story after the book, that if you want to see what else Anita ends up going through, reading the next in the series is advised. But they end very succinctly, so it makes it a bit more bearable (mostly, haha) to wait a year or two for the next book. Though I still strongly urge you to read this series in order. A lot of things, especially further on (at the time of this writing, Ive read up to book 24 in the series) wont make sense if you hadnt read the previous books. Theyre worth it. Dont skimp!

Overall, I still would recommend this book and series. It covers a lot of bases, such as mystery, crime, paranormal, and fantasy genres, all in one book. It caters to many, which is one of the many things that I think makes them so enjoyable. They dont try to fit into only one box, so you can enjoy many different flavors at once.

When my children came of age and left home I found a mysterious book among the ruin and disaster. The only book in my extensive collection that did not carry it’s cover anymore. I had no idea what it was, but as I needed something to read that day, and i wanted to figure out what this mystery book was, I began with chapter 1. Who is Anita Blake? Is this the first book of a series? Or one from the middle of the series? And why the hell is there a vampire strip club? I almost did not continue, but I am so glad I did! That was Guilty Pleasures. It was so good in fact I read it in one day, which led to the purchase of The Laughing Corpse. Terrific! I love how Ms. Hamilton writes in a way that most of speak on a daily basis, but throws in some big words now and then to show there is more than meets the eye. I love how she teases us with things to come and Anita’s internal monologues and wars with the different sides of her personality! And even though each book clearly ends, no cliff hangers yet, you simply cannot wait to get the next one! I am officially a fan and searching for the “friend” that told me years ago not to read Ms. Hamilton’s books because they were romance novels so I can slap them in the back of the head!

A friend suggested that I read two series. The Dresden Files and the Anita Blake books. I read through the Dresden files, with the exception of the newest book, and I absolutely loved.

So, with some hope for at least a decent story I started the Anita Blake series. I was not disappointed. Anita is far different from Harry Dresden, and that’s a good thing. I absolutely love her interactions with her world, the way she is so rational and fearless, and the fact that she seems to be so focused on what is important.

I look forward to the rest of the series.

I am rereading this series for the 5th time. Honestly it is one of my favorite. I have Chronic pain and I use books to “zone out” at times when the pain is so bad. I live the fact that this young beautiful woman is such a badass in fighting but still holds on to her faith. In this book she is forced to participate in human sacrifice. Even under a spell is is able to do it her way. Goodbye bad guys. She faces who and what she really is. Her powers are increasing and she is scared but she will deal with it. She realizes she is a necromancer. This book is well written and very good read. One advice once you start reading this series you will be hooked. They are now 25 books in. Still love them. Laurel Hamilton is wonderful and she is my new favorite author

Zombies, Voodoo, thugs, police investigations and Anita is now tied to Jean-Claude, the new Master of the City of St Louis, whether she wants to recognize that relationship or not. Theres plenty of action and horror as Anita refuses requests from 2 bad guys. The first wants her to raise a zombie so old that shed need to do a human sacrifice to have enough energy to do so, and wont take no for an answer. The other is the areas zombie queen who has found a way to do something horrible to make money and wants Anita to join her in her endeavor.

There are elements of this story that I absolutely love, more world and character building, moral issues and Anita once again proves just how much of a kick butt heroine she is. We also see a somewhat vulnerable side, but I have to say its one of the earlier books that Ive reread the least, mostly from a horror perspective. Im also somewhat disappointed in Jean-Claudes actions in helping Anita when she asks, but she refuses to bend at all for him. It does get explained much later in the series, but its difficult to understand for many books just why Jean-Claude is considered to be as powerful as gets indicated.

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