I didn't like this one quite as much as the last one, The Laughing Corpse, but I liked it more than the first book. The most important thing for me is that this book showed another layer to the series: in the first book, the focus was on the powerful and terrifying vampires; the second centered around the undead and humans who raise them -- the evil of humans rather than the evil of vampires, in other words. This book is about the humans who have to deal with these evil things. The bad guy in this one was good, though it centered a lot more on Anita and Jean-Claude and Anita's attempts to live a normal life, all of which are effectively ruined by her association with Jean-Claude, because she knows who the Master of the City is and where his daytime resting place is, so everybody who wants to kill him -- and it's more than a few -- wants to bribe, threaten, and torture the information out of her. It was an interesting depiction of what it's like to be a human drawn into the vampire's world. It also made Anita seem much less high-powered -- though she did have her bada$$ moment at the end, oh yes she did.

I liked Oliver enormously; I thought it was a fantastic idea and a wonderfully drawn character. I liked his motivation and the ways he intends to accomplish his goals, as well as his obvious personal power as seen through his control of such incredibly powerful minions. I didn't like the lamia, but I'm not supposed to, so that worked out well; it's an interesting way to handle the villain, to have a personable mastermind with loathsome henchbeings. On one level I wanted Oliver to win, mostly because I'm tired of Jean-Claude's assurance that he'll win and that Anita will surrender to him. Why? Because he's pretty, that's why. He's way too much of a prettyboy, utterly confident that his looks will enable him to get any woman, utterly convinced that once a woman gives in to her attraction to him, she will never resist him again. It's annoying. The conversation just keeps happening the same way:
"I'll never give in to you, Jean-Claude."
"But you want me."
"But I can't love you."
"But you liked kissing me."
"But I can't love you, and so there will never be anything more than a kiss."
"I'll wait, ma petite."

And on and on it goes. Now, this doesn't detract from the books, and it did make this one better for me because of the events that happen between Anita and Jean-Claude, how she turns on him and why, and the end result of her unexpected (to Jean-Claude; seems like it was always just a matter of time) betrayal of him, and I do agree with Anita's final choice of Jean-Claude as the least of the several evils facing her -- but I want her to slap him. A lot. Maybe muss up that pretty face a little bit. Although more scars would just give him character, like that damn cross scar gives to his chest. And I have to admit that I prefer Jean-Claude to the alternative, Alejandro. Basically this character and his dealings with Anita make her a more sympathetic character without having him become truly loathsome -- this is the problem Anne Rice had with Lestat, for instance. His villainy was just too villainous, and it couldn't be maintained over a series -- and there was a series without a sympathetic character. So I much prefer this to that. He still needs a slappin', though.

I'm seeing great potential in these books to go the distance: the main character is both powerful and, as this book establishes, very human and thus a bit outclassed by her immortal enemies -- though she uses all of the tools at her disposal to maximum effect, which works out quite well -- and the other main characters are complex and multi-dimensional. Because despite my irritation with Jean-Claude's prettyboy seduction techniques, he is actually much more than that as a, um, person, which is why I don't really hate him. But it isn't just him: Willie McCoy, and Anita's boss, Bert, and the other animators, including the new guy, all have their strengths and weaknesses. They are all very realistic, and thus very interesting. At the same time, of course, there is some serious booty-kicking going on in these books, and who doesn't like that?

LK Hamilton is a great author. If you love vampires, her Anita Blake series is the one for you.

This author was suggested to me by a friend. I am pleased to report that it was all and more than they had boasted.

Laurel K. Hamilton is an amazingly brilliant author. Her writing is elegant and captivating, yet simple and effective. Truly a series of novels that keep you wanting more from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this book to everyone - Especially if you like vampires!

I love the books about Anita Blake. Always keep you going and guessing about what will happen next.

Anita Blake returns in this third installment of her well-known series. The police call Anita to consult on a murder and she quickly detects that the victim had been attacked by five vampires, mostly like a master and his pack. Since the few masters resident in St. Louis don't seem likely to have committed the crime, Anita starts looking for newcomers, but they just might find her first. As if this isn't enough, she receives a visit from her old friend Edward, the master assassin, who threatens to kill her if she doesn't reveal the name and resting place of the city's Master Vampire. All of this is just the start for Anita as she struggles to save the city, and herself, from a threat more ancient than anything she's ever faced before.

Circus of the Damned returns the focus to vampires and their politics after the voodoo detour of The Laughing Corpse. Jean-Claude, the city's Master Vampire, has given Anita two marks out of four toward becoming his human servant and very much wants her to accept the last two. Her refusal to do so is hurting is position among other vampires in the city. Other masters have come to the city ready to challenge Jean-Claude and try to woo Anita into joining their cause. Anita has to choose where her loyalties lie.

The major strength of this book shows in the action scenes. They take up a significant portion of the book and are uniformly suspenseful, even gripping at times. Anita lives in a very dangerous world and the author does an excellent job of portraying this. The weakest portion of the novel shows up whenever there is a conversation or Anita's narration includes her own thoughts. If Anita is talking to the police, they basically have the same conversation every time they meet at a crime scene. If she speaks to Jean-Claude, she has the same conversation every time. Even her own thoughts take on the exact same form over and over again.

After enjoying Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 1), I was disappointed by The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 2). I was hoping that Circus of the Damned would be a tie breaker of sorts to see if I would keep reading more or not. This is certainly a more entertaining book than The Laughing Corpse and provided a welcome return back to vampires as the chief villains. Unfortunately, Laurell Hamilton's writing style has grown so stale and cliché for me that I don't have the desire to go any further with Anita Blake. These books all read like a poor imitation of Dashiell Hammett and the style never grows or varies in the slightest. I'm glad I bought this book because it ties up all the loose ends from the prior two books, but there's nothing here compelling enough to make me want to keep coming back for more.

This is the last book of the Anita Blake series i have read as of this review (need to order the rest :o ) but i can safely say that this series is a winner. Each book so far has carried the series' plot forward, while at the same time you could pick one up and read it in any order, as they can almost be called separate books in a greater story line, much like the New Jedi Order books where for that series.

Not too long in length, this is a good book, and a quick read. i would recommend reading this in a place where you can focus on it, and wont be distracted. The first book i picked up (was the second book of the series, whoops!) i read on an airplane. i would imagine a long bus ride or other form of long travel it would be good for as well.

The only down side i personally find with this book, and the others of the Anita Blake series, is that i want to go and read them all after finishing one. Well, i guess thats not a bad thing, per say.

Last comment, as i have read now three of the series' books you could well call me a fan. If you are looking for a completely objective review, i suggest you take this one with a grain of salt...

This is the last book of the Anita Blake series i have read as of this review (need to order the rest :o ) but i can safely say that this series is a winner. Each book so far has carried the series' plot forward, while at the same time you could pick one up and read it in any order, as they can almost be called separate books in a greater story line, much like the New Jedi Order books where for that series.

Not too long in length, this is a good book, and a quick read. i would recommend reading this in a place where you can focus on it, and wont be distracted. The first book i picked up (was the second book of the series, whoops!) i read on an airplane. i would imagine a long bus ride or other form of long travel it would be good for as well.

The only down side i personally find with this book, and the others of the Anita Blake series, is that i want to go and read them all after finishing one. Well, i guess thats not a bad thing, per say.

Last comment, as i have read now three of the series' books you could well call me a fan. If you are looking for a completely objective review, i suggest you take this one with a grain of salt...

So I needed a Vamp fix after Black Dagger Brotherhood (best series I have read so far action, drama, passion, romance ...the works). So I decided to check out Anita Blake, it was not what I expected there has been no romance, or steamy scenes of any kind so far Im on book 3....but I AM NOT disappointed the action and drama is fast paced. I love a cycnical kick @$$ chick. I bought the first 11 and intend to read them all. It's a great series, very gory, gritty, and abit scary I LUV it;)Hard to stop reading once you start! I just wish she would get with Jean-Claude already...

There is a dose of politics in this one, both the human kind, and the vampire kind. The human issue is one of separatism, basically, as the Humans First organisation wants more information on and the ability to get rid of, the vampire power structures in the city.

This book again has Edward, which is always good.

Imagine if the Executioner or the Punisher got bored with hunting and killing crims and decided on something trickier, and you have a bit of an idea what Edward is about. Except that he is not so keen on the girls as the Executioner.

Another powerful group of supernaturals also roll into town, and there is a nice, big, battle, which is action packed and a lot of fun.

Fantastic read. I couldn't guess the end the book was full of suspense action and betrayal. We saw Anita's life hand in the balance alongside Jean-Claude - will they ever get together..... already ordered the next book. Absolutely loved this book very short read (two nights) couldn't put it down. There is also a new possible love interest for Anita in this novel and we are left hanging for the next installment as to who she will pick! can't wait.

We meet Richard who becomes Anita's new lust interest. Jean-Claude shows his heart. More kick-butt action from Anita. More murders, although the actual investigation scene wasn't as graphic as hunting down the animalistic vampire. Anita meets two more master vampires, both older than Nikolaos from Guilty Pleasures. She agress w/Mr. Oliver, the older master of the two, when he requests that she give up the name of the Master of the City so he can take over and reverse the legislation that legalizes vampires. He wants it back to survival-of-the-fitest becasue he strongly believes that the legalization of vampires will lead to extinction of humans. Anita accepts a date w/Richard however is poisoned. I don't want to give away any more but in this book Richard tells Anita that he believes Jean-Claude loves her and that he wishes her love in return. She denies it at first then admits that in some dark corner of her heart she might love him after all. But the fact that he is the living dead she refuses to believe it. She, however, starts to wonder how undead he really is, being that vampires are not supposed to have a soul or a reflection - yet Jean-Claude has a reflection. She accepts Richard being a were-wolf, even almost defends it at the very last page of the book.

We meet Richard who becomes Anita's new lust interest. Jean-Claude shows his heart. More kick-butt action from Anita. More murders, although the actual investigation scene wasn't as graphic as hunting down the animalistic vampire. Anita meets two more master vampires, both older than Nikolaos from Guilty Pleasures. She agress w/Mr. Oliver, the older master of the two, when he requests that she give up the name of the Master of the City so he can take over and reverse the legislation that legalizes vampires. He wants it back to survival-of-the-fitest becasue he strongly believes that the legalization of vampires will lead to extinction of humans. Anita accepts a date w/Richard however is poisoned. I don't want to give away any more but in this book Richard tells Anita that he believes Jean-Claude loves her and that he wishes her love in return. She denies it at first then admits that in some dark corner of her heart she might love him after all. But the fact that he is the living dead she refuses to believe it. She, however, starts to wonder how undead he really is, being that vampires are not supposed to have a soul or a reflection - yet Jean-Claude has a reflection. She accepts Richard being a were-wolf, even almost defends it at the very last page of the book.

Of the first three Anita Blake's novels this is surely the worst.
This hit me as totally unexpected and I am very disappointed.

The problem lies in the plot, misconstructed, discontinuous, a heap of unrelated events thrown together with little sense, not to mention a mass of inconsistencies spread throughout the pages. Inconsistencies in characters descriptions and details are to be found in all the first four books but here we have mistakes such as Anita driving her car which was wrecked the night before and is again the day after. Hard to swallow.

In such a context that some ideas are really good and some characters very interesting matters very little.

Freaky and suspenceful. The ending is a surprise twist that you would never believe!! they just keep getting better and better. Anita's life gets put on the line. I highly recommend it.

This novel is the best entry in Anita Blake as of yet (out of #s 1-3). For the first time, we see Anita torn on what makes a person a monster, and if the creatures that she once thought should all be wiped out are able to love or be loved.

Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude is the focal point of the book, and it is very interesting. Hamilton never gives us too much, and leaves us wanting more. In a good way. The turns that their relationship (using the term loosely, mind you) takes is surprising, even shocking. The many characters in Anita's world are, for the first time, completely distinguishable from each other, despite how many they are.

Keep 'em coming.

9/10

As I compulsively read one more Anita Blake story, I tried to analyze what makes them so fascinating? Is it having a heroine who's not afraid to talk back (even when it's to a master vampire)? Is it her ability to think and act quickly to survive the most frightening circumstances? Imagine yourself floundering though a totally dark cave with an ancient lamia (snake/woman combo) and three vampires after you.
The gore in the second book repelled me, but this time the descriptions of mayhem seemed more focused on the action and didn't wallow quite as much in blood (or maybe I'm just getting used to it).
Whatever... Laurell Hamilton sure has fashioned a world that grabs the reader. Each book adds another layer of monsters and their powers to keep the reader (and heroine) jumping.

In the third installment of the Anita Blake series, Laurell Hamilton creates a circus that goes beyond the title.

Hamilton gives Anita so many enemies out to kill her that there is a running gag of it being a very bad week. Although the plot could be called over-complicated and there are so many new characters you wonder if they're part rabbit, the book is entertaining and enjoyable.

Anita's personality develops further in this novel making her even more of a sympathetic heroine. I think any woman who has faced adversity can relate to Anita surveying the damage done to her bedroom by zombies and well-meaning police officers and only care about whether the blood will come out of her stuffed penguins.

The blood flows freely in this novel, but the gore was toned down a bit from The Laughing Corpse. The end and Anita's relationship with the master vampire could have been handled better. I understand the necessity for it since Hamilton had written Anita into a corner, but it was still rather disappointing.

I have just started Laurell K Hamilton's series and am completely hooked!
Her Anita Blake is a tough cookie. The action is intense and very gory, so if you are not the type that cares for blood, this is not for you. The Circus of the Damned, like most of Hamilton's titles refer to a place, not just a horror subject. The monsters of Circus of the Damned, are not only vampires, shapeshifters, and werewolves, but other exotic
members, including snake people. I find it amusing that Hamilton's Anita
Blake is labeled as "sci-fi" when it is clearly horror, as if a female writer cannot write in the genre. Clearly she owns it!

The Circus of the Damned continues the Anita Blake series by exploring Anita's "gifts" and developing characters that are very well utilized in later novels (several major characters are introduced in this novel). While I give this novel four stars, I consider the series in total to be of five star quality and they get much better as the storylines become more complex. This novel in particular focuses on Anita's necromancy abilities, vampire slaying abilities, and begins to explore the lycanthrope community. Also, it is worthwhile to note that from the cover art, one may assume that this novel would fall in the paranormal romance genre, but I do not believe that to be the case; instead I would be more inclined to classify this book as an action adventure with a touch of noir. Later books in the series however, do shift a bit to include elements from the romance genre (in my mind, book six "The Killing Dance" marks the change in tone for the series). Even after the genre shift however, the books retain a strong emphasis on action and the macabre. As for The Circus of the Damned, it is light, fast-paced and all-in-all a fun read.

Wow! I really enjoyed the first two books in the Anita Blake series, but I guess I figured that Laurell Hamilton would start to take off the accelerator and maybe even run out of ideas by about the third book. "Circus of the Damned" is the best book in the series so far. It's simply astounding how much action has been fit into a 300 page novel. A day in the life of Anita Blake consists of police investigations, vampire hunts, necromancy, social events and not much sleep. Every time one situation is over, another one sweeps her up into intrigue, danger and supernatural encounters. It could almost be completely overwhelming if it wasn't so constantly entertaining.

Whereas "Guilty Pleasures" introduced the reader to the world of vampires and "The Laughing Corpse" brought zombies onto the scene, this third book introduces werewolves and lamias (shapeshifting snakes) into the mix. The reader simply can't get bored with new monsters around every corner, not to mention love interests and ancient blood wars. I must admit when I first started reading the Anita Blake series, I thought it was going to be filled with gothic dreamy romance and not much horror and action. Laurell Hamilton has managed to include all of those aspects and the gore level is extremely high. There are decapitations and throats and rib cages being ripped out all over the place. While the fantasy romance aspects and tough chick antics of these books may draw in female supporters, unsuspecting readers need to be aware that the author doesn't pull any punches. If you don't like blood and guts then you'll find many parts of this book in particular to be rather gruesome.

If I am to criticise anything here I'd have to say that Anita herself is becoming a little too powerful. I mean, it's awesome to have the diminutive sexpot beating up bad guys and monsters left, right and centre. But she's now defeating million year old vampires and fighting off several extremely dangerous creatures unassisted. I guess I hope it doesn't turn into a superhero style series where the main character doesn't have vulnerabilities as that would take the fear factor straight out of it for the reader.

This being said, I couldn't be more excited about continuing onto book four and I love the no stuffing around writing formula that Laurell uses. It's hard to have so much action and still create a world full of history and one that contains real characters, but she seems to have a real knack for it. Highly recommended!

Continuing on from the first two books, our heroine is once again embroiled in the saga that is the world of humans, vampires, lycanthropes and zombies. Who said that the life of a necromancer was meant to be easy?

As if having the master of the city panting after you isn't bad enough, Anita Blake finds herself the object of Alejandro's attention, a dangerous vampire who makes it clear that he wants her to be his human servant. Unfortunately for her it doesn't stop there. With her suitor Jean-Claude still fresh in his position, another powerful vampire wants to dethrone him and assume power over the city. With his desire for Anita widely-known in the vampire community, she is caught in the battle of the undead, where the finale takes place at the Circus of the Damned in front of unsuspecting humans. To quote our heroine, she would be flattered if only her life weren't at stake.

CIRCUS OF THE DAMNED is another enthralling and fast-paced novel. It is filled with interesting and well-rounded characters that all contribute to the mayhem, excitement and gore that makes up the roller-coaster world of Anita Blake. Hamilton certainly knows how to build up the adrenaline as seen in Anita's adventures, from her meeting with a Lamia (half-human, half-snake), encounter with werewolves and introduction to the newest animator and aspiring vampire-hunter, Larry Kirkland. Edward, the ruthless bounty hunter, is also back and we know how scary the man is. Then there is the sexy Richard Zeeman who will be part of the love triangle in future books. However, the best thing about this book is the showdown in the circus ring. Worthy of a film scene, Anita and Jean-Claude are in for the fight of their lives as they take on two very powerful master vampires who plan to annihilate humans. For Anita Blake, it's all in a day's work. Don't miss this book!

This book has none of the depth or color of Anne Rice's sensual vampire tales. The story line and character development are weak. Maybe a good choice for when you have read everything else.

Laurell K. Hamilton, Circus of the Damned (Berkley, 1995)

This is the third installment of the long-running and wildly popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. Hamilton assures us that the series changes somewhat after this in her afterword. I'm thinking that's a good thing, because at this point, it was starting to get into a rut.

It's mostly the small stuff. It seems that Anita punctuates every piece of sarcasm with "Honestly." or "Really." here-- she did it before, but not, it seemed to me, to the extent she does it here. The cat-and-mouse games with Anita and Jean-Claude have just gotten boring-- there's no real progress, even when there seems to be. It's almost like the characters have no chemistry, despite both of them professing same constantly. Honestly, if this book lacked a plot, I'd have probably given up on the series right here.

But a plot it has. There's a rogue pack of vampires loose in the city, and they're led by a master-- someone who might make a challenge for the leadership of the city, presently in Jean-Claude's hands. To complicate things, Anita meets a vampire whom she suspects of being infinitely older than either of the masters already on her plate. This one has goals that seem to be in line with Anita's-- and the only price he requests for his involvement in the situation is for Anita to hand him Jean-Claude's daytime resting place. Which, it seems, everyone and their mothers wants.

As far as plots go, it's certainly not a bad one. It gets weighted down by the story's soap-opera aspects, but it's readable once Hamilton gets the ball rolling and starts throwing in the actual plot elements. I'm hoping the next one is back up to the standard set by the first two. ***

Ah. Boy meets girl. Anita meets Richard. Necromancer meets King Werewolf. Rock, hard place. You get the picture. Do you think that if Anita had been precognitive she would have run screaming in the other direction? Maybe toward the giant snake that was attacking, hm?

This book is my favorite in the serie and marks the time when Anita goes from being a somwhat average vampire executioner/zombie queen to the powerful creature wrapped up in the triumphrant with Richard the werewolf king and Jean-Claude ,Master Vampire that she is today. Also this book shows us the first time Anita meets Larry, her soon to be best freind and protege.

Oh, and there's that little part when she's forced to slaughter the snake like children af a maenad, tangle with several old vampires, tangle with Humans Against Vampires, gets into a showdown with Death, and has to kill a million year old vampire, too. But lets face it this is where the love triangle starts and that's the juiciest part!

If you are interested in the series, in order, they are:
Guilty Pleasures
The Laughing Corpse
The Circus of the Damned
Lunatic Cafe
Bloody Bones
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cravings Anthology
Cerulean Sins
Bite anthology
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre

This is my first fav in the Anita Blake series. It was fast passed and exciting and I couldn't put it down.

In this, the third volume in the Anita Blake, vampire hunter, series of books, the author does not disappoint the reader. Anita, our intrepid vampire hunter, is once again called upon by the St. Louis police to assist with some unusual murders. It appears that someone or something is killing humans in the city, and it appears that it may be a renegade pack of vampires that is doing so, hell bent on challenging the power of Jean Claude, the vampire that reigns supreme as Master of the City.

Moreover, Anita is footloose and fancy free, notwithstanding her attraction to the Master of the City, when she meets Richard Zeeman, a hunky junior high school science teacher. The only thing is that Richard has a secret that may impact on how Anita may feel about him. Their budding romance, however, is never the focal point of the story. Rather, it is a sustaining and tantalizing backdrop to the adventures of Anita, as our feisty, tough talking heroine tries to save the city of St. Louis from a fate worse than death.

Once again, the author holds the readers' interest with her richly detailed alternate universe, where vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other monsters are part of the landscape and live side by side with humans in a somewhat uneasy alliance. The plot is fully fleshed, as are most of the characters, and the dialogue is crisp and snappy. This is a fun, fast-paced series of books, and I look forward to reading each and every one!

"Circus of the Damned" is the third book in Laurell Hamilton's "Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" series, about a young woman who has a full time job raising zombies form the dead, and a part time job killing vampires. It follows "The Laughing Corpse" and has her squaring off against 3 "Master" vampires.

I have read the first Anita Blake novel and bought this by mistake, thinking it was the second book in the series. While I recommend reading the first novel, "Guilty Pleasures," you can then move straight into this book, as I was able to follow along easily and appear not to have missed anything. Like with the first book, I felt very awkward reading this. It is basically a "vampire romance" novel, in that there is a lot of subtle talk about sex, and a lot of male Fabio-type vampires running around with their shirts off. Hamilton loves to talk about how Vampire nipples. After my third nipple reference, it became clear that as a male, I am probably the wrong demographic these novels are targeted at.

Nevertheless, the novel is a quick read and can be entertaining if you can get over the incredibly annoying use of the first person narrator. I got so sick of Anita's comments and having her every thought vocalized. How many times does she have to say "Bully for me," "gag me with a spoon," and "point for him?" It gets real old after the third or fourth chapter. My other big complaint was that this book needs a new editor. It wasn't loaded with mistakes, but I found at least 6 or 7 pretty glaring grammatical or spelling errors. There is no reason why a published novel that has an editor should misspell "too" as "to" or leave out entire words in sentences by mistake.

Lastly, the book is a quick read and was pretty action-packed, so I will probably read a few others in the series, provided my guilt at reading a book described on the cover as "filled with erotic chills" can be overcome.

If you loved Ann Rice you will love laurell Hamilton. Read thenm in order, this one is #3.

This book was great once I got in the mood for it! If you can take all the sex and just add the adventure with it then you get a deep engaging read. If you get hung up on all the sex like it's a porno or something then you won't like it. I think of it like an adult situation. There is adventure, there is sex with a mate and there is violence then comes breeding and death. So I really think you should give this 3rd installment a go.

Just ordered the whole series...geez. Yeah she is a master storyteller. LOve the conflicts she sets up in the main character...little but tough...hates monsters but loves a vamp and a werewolf...pretty but mean...has a friend that may kill her...or she may kill him... conflict conflict conflict

Clipped from wheelsofterror.com review:

They say three times a charm; here all three were a charm, but it's a mark of a great, important new sub-plot that's born in this installment.

Richard, a powerful lycanthrope who from here on stays throughout the series as an important character, is introduced. This creates more havoc on the goal Jean-Claude has, as well as major changes in Anita's personality. This delicious sideline isn't explored more until the next book, but the introduction of it here is intriguing.

As always, the action kicks off in the first chapter, and the ending is another delightful show down between powerful creatures where it seems that nothing will be right again. As before, it ends with a depressing note between the lines, a sense of realism that's impossible to ignore when it's pushed right up in your face.

There's a great mystery on who hired Edward (another favorite character, the cold hit man you can't help but adore) to kill Jean-Claude, whether Jean-Claude will end up surviving, and what the other Master vampires in town want with our favorite necromancer.

Besides all this, Anita's personal life is being ran through the cleaners. More about her secret self and powers are explored, and as always the police work is dark, fascinating, and gore-laden. Jean-Claude's previous ambitions from Laughing Corpse are shown here more than ever - they have one or two truly steamy scenes that rocked my boat. With what happens at the end, the spark ignited by this series in my mind was lit even further. Powerful stuff.

Another A+ installment in the series. Read book 1 to 3 for a small slice of Anita Blake paradise.

Of course, I loved it - but no one is surprised since I love anything by LKH. I think most of the characters in this book are well developed as, of course, is the world they inhabit. I liked the vampire politics as well as the conflicted nature of vampires being US citizens. One of the inhuman creatures wasn't well developed. Her "race" just didn't seem well developed the way the shapeshifters and vampires are. I didn't quite feel like I understood what was going on with that, but I suppose Anita didn't either, so it worked in context. I liked the introduction of Richard. Very fun. ***** Spoiler, read no further***** The ultimate bad guy as a "really old rogue master vamp" kinda thing seemed a little hokey - but it was dramatic. Anita's Deus Ex Machina act at the end I found frustrating, I'd have preferred something more real.

While i enjoyed Guilty Pleasures and Laughing Corpse, this book, which is the third Anita Blake adventure, is what really got me hooked onto the series.

The book starts off as usual, with some suspects and gruesome crimes, then really gets the ball rolling in non stop action with our favorite heroine.

The action/adventure scenes are great, the dialogue funny, and the new characters introduced are all sparked with flavor. The ending battle royale in this book is truly an awe to read and makes you crave for the next novel that much more.

This is easily on of Hamiltons best books and is one of the top supernatural/fantasy/horror ones out there too, so do yourself a favor and pick it up.

This is the third book in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. In my opinion this book is the best one yet! The book starts out with the familiar scenario of Anita being called in to help investigate a preternaturally-linked murder. From there we're drawn into the growing power struggle within the St. Louis vampire community. We meet lots of new and interesting creatures, umm, characters along the way as Anita gets dumped from one situation to the next. This book is virtually non-stop action! A lot is done to further develop the relationship between Anita and Jean-Claude, but a new love-interest is introduced as well. Laurell Hamilton does an excellent job of handling her characters and allowing them to develop as the plot advances. She introduces some really sinister bad guys in this book, but I can't say more without spoiling the plot.

I highly recommend this book! If you liked the first two Anita Blake books, don't miss this one! I can't wait to get the next volume in this series (The Lunatic Cafe)!

Anita Blake, heroine of Laurell K. Hamilton's Vampire Hunter novels, discovers in "Circus of the Damned" that she is a full fledged necromancer, as well as an animator and vampire slayer. She is truly a woman of many talents. Anita's boss contracted her out as paranormal advisor to the police's Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. Her friend and colleague, Detective Sergeant Rudolf "Dolph" Storr, contacts her, as the novel opens, to inform her that a dead body has been found - the first of many. After she examines the gruesome corpse, her worst fears are realized. The man had been brutally murdered, by multiple vampires. Apparently a rogue Master Vampire and pack members are on the loose in St. Louis, because rogues are the only kind of vampires who kill in numbers.

It should not be possible for a rogue and pack to be operating in the city. Vampire extraordinaire, Jean-Claude, the charismatic Master of the City of St. Louis, should be aware and in charge of whatever undead creature enters his domain. Unfortunately, Jean-Claude, powerful as he is, is new to the job and is having difficulties asserting himself in his new position. Others are disputing his claims and vying for his title as city leader. Jean-Claude is a capitalist entrepreneur vampire, and owns the vampire strip club, Guilty Pleasures, the vamp comedy club, The Laughing Corpse, and also a circus called, Circus of the Damned, which features, amongst other acts: The Skinless Man, a voodoo ceremony with zombies rising from open graves, clowns from the other world, and snake charmer, Shahar, who works with the world's largest cobra - and boy (!) this baby is huge!! Perhaps if Jean-Claude didn't have his fingers in so many pies, he could better protect his primary job title.

Anyway, Alejandro, the rogue vampire, happens to be the world's oldest creature and the most powerful one Anita has ever faced. He wants Anita to be his human servant so he can use her powers to help him gain control of..., well...everything. Jean-Claude, who has the hots for Anita, has given her a bite or two - just enough to make her 'almost' his own. However, he prefers to seduce Anita, not to force her. Anita thinks Jean-Claude is pretty cool too - but wants nothing to do with him because she doesn't want anyone, or anything, to have control over her. In other words, she prefers her men to be alive. So while these two undead studs are duking it out over the lovely lady and the St. Louis turf, she gets kidnapped by a lamia and cohorts, and taken to an underground cave where she fights for her life; struggles with a radical group of right wing activists who want to murder all vampires and undead creatures - even the innocent ones; continues to raise five zombies per night for her demanding boss, while training a new employee; begins dating the oh-so-handsome, and very nice, Richard Zeeman, a science teacher with a terrible secret, etc.. The novel culminates with a fabulous gang war scene in the middle of the circus - giving new meaning to the words "Live Entertainment!!"

Laurell Hamilton just keeps getting better. Her characters are what makes this series so special. Anita is the author's secret weapon. This gal has attitude with a capital "A." Her wit is wry and she is a major cynic with a tender heart. She is a feisty, attractive and independent 21st century lady who is as good at raising the dead as she is at slaying the undead. Ms. Blake's sense of morality is unique. No matter what the perks are, she refuses to become a monster - or even the human servant of a very sexy vampire who has fairly liberal ideas where women are concerned. She will never give up a human to a vampire, no matter what the crime. She'll never leave a man, or woman, behind. And she won't date corpses. Hamilton's minor characters are fantastic also - in every sense of the word. The humor, dark as it is, never falls flat. The narrative is well written and fast paced. I highly recommend this book, but it will be more enjoyable if you begin by reading the first two episodes, "Guilty Pleasures" and "The Laughing Corpse."
JANA

I really think I am beyond obsessed when it comes to the Anita Blake series. At first, I felt the book was going at a fast paced. Towards the end I was kind of glad that it was, because i wanted to know what happenes right away. I am upset that Laurell K. Hamilton gave Anita a new beau but I could almost see why she did it. In every romantic plot, you need to give a huge surprise to keep readers interested. At least that is what i think. Everyone expected Anita to give in to Jean-Claude, but she didn't. It makes me want to see what happens in the next book.

I found this book to be one of the best in the Anita Blake series. For me, it started off a bit slow but quickly sucked me in. I don't want to give up any details, but the wonderful detail of the 'fight' scenes, the tension between Anita and Jean-Claude, and everything in between makes this out to be a very good read.

As I compulsively read one more Anita Blake story, I tried to analyze what makes them so fascinating? Is it having a heroine who's not afraid to talk back (even when it's to a master vampire)? Is it her ability to think and act quickly to survive the most frightening circumstances? Imagine yourself floundering though a totally dark cave with an ancient lamia (snake/woman combo) and three vampires after you.
The gore in the second book repelled me, but this time the descriptions of mayhem seemed more focused on the action and didn't wallow quite as much in blood (or maybe I'm just getting used to it).
Whatever... Laurell Hamilton sure has fashioned a world that grabs the reader. Each book adds another layer of monsters and their powers to keep the reader (and heroine) jumping.

To recap (for those who don't read every one of my reviews, because I've heard that there are a few of you out there) I really didn't like the first book, "Guilty Pleasures." I thought that book two, "The Laughing Corpse" got a little better. This installment of the series seems to have finally hit some sort of stride. It is far from perfect, but I enjoyed this one more than the previous two.

I felt that there were fewer things that came up out of nowhere (such as the Deus Ex Machina villain in book one) and I felt mostly satisfied with the characterization. I thought that the inclusion of a new Animator and an extremely ancient vampire were interesting. Overall, this novel seemed to flow better than the previous two.

I did have a few problems with the book, however. The characters were drawn well, but their actions did not always seem consistent with previous books (didn't the bounty hunter still have a contract on the Master of the City?). Some things still seemed thrown in with no regard for plot (okay, so why was one of the new characters naked when we first meet him?). And I would still like a better analysis of the world this story is set in (what, exactly, are the first two marks? where did vamps come from? are they evil? if not, why do crosses burn them?).

In short, this series does not seem to be terrible. It can kill some time and satisfy a vampire craving. However, don't expect the intelligence or depth of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the intriguing ambiguity of Anne Rice. I don't know where the series will go from here, but so far it's kind of fun. Maybe not fun enough to get me to read the rest of them, but we'll see. :)