Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is the first of the Anita Blake vampire hunter series. It was also, many years ago, my introduction to the world of paranormal fiction/romance. Since then, I've kind of become addicted.

Anita Blake is an animator. That is, she raises zombies for a living. She also moonlights as a vampire hunter, and is on call for the St. Louis Police Department's Regional Preternatural Investigation Team... or RPIT (pronounced Rip-it).

When vampires, who are legal U.S. citizens in LKH's world, start getting murdered, Anita is called to the case by not only the police, but also by Nikolaos, the Master Vampire of the city.

Anita has a serious prejudice against vampires, and at the start of this series, it really shows. She cannot stand vampires. She only agrees to work for them under duress, and only finally solves the crime for them under duress. Not once does she do anything for them willingly.

In this book, we also meet Jean-Claude, who is the owner of Guilty Pleasures, the world's only vampire strip club. He is arrogant, he is gorgeous, and he is French. Anita kind of finds herself minorly attracted to him, but she resists because, well, vampires equal bad.

In the end, Anita does solve the murders. This book mostly focuses on world building and character building, but the plot stays central as well. It's a really nice blend of crime and paranormal fiction. If you haven't read this series, pick up this book. It's a quick read, and a great introduction to LKH's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter. Book Two is on the list to read next, so, stay tuned for: The Laughing Corpse.

~♥~
Lady D