Hamilton Laurell K 02

Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1

Orbit have recently published a series of books written by Laurell K Hamilton, concerning the exploits of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. Before we go any further, it is important to note that the first book Guilty Pleasures was written in 1993. This is several years before the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit the big screen. There is no question that these tales are based on Buffy. Quite the opposite ...
The stories are set in St. Louis in modern day America in an alternate universe where the Supreme Court has granted the undead equal rights. Anita is an animator, who can bring the dead back to life as zombies. She works for Animators Inc, and makes her living bringing the newly dead temporarily back to life so that wills can be ratified or a lost key located. She also helps out the police, in the shape of the recently formed Regional Preternatural Investigation Team which handles all supernatural-related crime. Because of her past experiences, Vampires call her the Executioner. The vampires and other supernatural creatures such as were-wolves, were-rats etc. run a number of dens of iniquity and ill-repute such as The Circus of the Damned and the Lunatic Cafe where normal people hope to get voyeuristic thrills, but sometimes end up feeding their hosts. There is also the vampiric Church of Eternal Life which unlike most other religions can guarantee eternal life - at a price.
Laurell K Hamilton has a very easy style. The books are very readable, almost addictive. The characterisations are powerful, and there is an edge of the erotic which keeps the atmosphere boiling. Guilty Pleasures is a Vampire strip-joint run by a handsome vampire called Jean-Claude. A serial killer is murdering vampires. Jean-Claude wants her to find out who it is. He also has designs on Anita Blake's body, and I don't mean lunch. This is an excellent fast-paced supernatural thriller. A very dark humorous style much lighter than the works of the vampire genre's queen Anne Rice.

Publisher: Orbit
Date: 2000(1993)
Pages: 266 pages
Price: £5.99
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 1 84149 046 6
Reviewed by: Rod Cameron
Date Reviewed: April 2002