I've heard so much about the Anita Blake books, and now I've satisfied my curiosity by reading the first of the series. Tersely written, tightly paced, it's fairly entertaining horror action, though nothing spectacular. Might be too graphic for some people, and I can't say I'm interested enough to continue the series, but Anita certainly takes no prisoners in this first installment. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a romance. That might end up happening later, but this first book is all about the action.

I'm currently up to book 6 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. I know, this is supposed to be a review for only Guilty Pleasures, but it is difficult to review one without the others.

I was recommended the series by a shop assistant while on holidays, and I haven't stopped reading them since. I think the series is excellent because I'm currently 21 and too old for the young adult section and too young for the adult section. The Anita Blake series fits me perfectly.

Main character Anita is strong and witty, and I love her relationship with Jean-Claude. The writing style is easy to follow and get into, and the story lines are very interesting.

I would recommend this series of books to anyone my age with an interest in the paranormal.

The first time I read this book, I was fascinated and scandalized and I could feel my literary horizons opening further with every page. It was fresh, it was innovative. It was naughty and nice all at the same time. Almost fifteen years and lots of knock-off and me-too series later, Laurell K. Hamilton is still the queen of the supernatural for me. Nobody writes those scary, erotic beasties like she does. Sexy vampires, powerful werewolves, compelling shapeshifters, and, my favorite character, one intriguing scary SOB assassin.

Ms. Hamilton has an amazing ability to "up the ante" with every book. The first chapter of every book thrusts us into a grade of peril one step above what we faced in the last book. The powers of her heroine grow with every challenge, and her personality undergoes subtle changes from book to book. Every time her established principles clash with what she knows is the right thing, or simply what she desires, she loses a little more of her humanity.

Guilty Pleasures is the first book in a series that you'll want to read over and over. I certainly did, and I can say that of only two other series; Anne McCaffrey's dragonrider saga (though it's been a long time since I outgrew that one) and Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books.

Set in modern day St. Louis we are introduced to an earth similar to our own, yet vastly different in the descriptions of its denizens. Alongside humans vampires, werewolves, zombies, and various other mythical phantasmagoria exist, all of which are grudgingly accepted by the American government. In this unique yet hauntingly similar rendition of modern day earth, Anita Blake professed animator (necromancer) and sworn vampire hunter lives. Known to the vampire community as The Executioner, Anita is both feared and revered. When a rash of murders occur, in which each case a master vampire (this being an especially strong and ancient vampire) is brutally slain, the remaining master vampires experience concern over their impending fate. Finding themselves in desperate need for a consummate investigator, the vampires abduct Anita's friend Catherine and threaten her life. If Anita does not discover the murderous culprit, Catherine will die horribly. Forced to investigate, Anita begins sleuthing leading her deep into the murky world of the undead. Will Anita survive or will she be the newest zombie addition to the community?


Consummate zombie raiser, vampire slayer, and witty protagonist Anita instantly catapults the reader into her unique world where the bizarre and disturbing freely stalk the streets. Despite the more absurd elements of her personality, most notably the fact that her daily career is to raise the dead, Anita is portrayed as a very realistic lifelike character therefore allowing her personality to come alive. Her witticisms, even when faced with extreme danger, proved refreshing and instantly caused the reader to form a deep bond with this feisty animator who readily sees the humor in every situation.

The other characters introduced during Guilty Pleasures were immediately entertaining, both the protagonists and antagonists. The charismatic Jean-Claude, master vampire and owner of the seedy vampire club, Guilty Pleasures, proved a unique and captivating character that the reader hopes to see more of in the future. The psychopathic Edward, fellow vampire slayer who feels that killing and maiming should be a touted hobby, was expertly woven into the story creating tension between himself and the main character that never failed to maintain the reader's devoted attention. And, most notably, the main Master Vampire of the city of St. Louis, Nikolaos, was the quintessential villain; terrifying and suave simultaneously, often indulging in mood swings from the childish to the extremely violent, each scene dedicated to Nikolaos was heart stopping and entrancing, keeping the reader glued to the page helplessly experiencing the tension and terror radiated by the thousand year old Master Vampire through Anita's vivid descriptions.

Despite the absurdities of Anita's world, which some may falsely believe to compromise the ingenuity of the tale, Guilty Pleasures was so well presented and vivid as to make the reader believe in Anita's world as though the idea of vampires and zombies truly existing was acceptable and perhaps even normal. This ability to make an incongruous world come to life and achieve a realistic aura in the reader's mind is surly a sign of true excellence that few novels achieve. This particular aspect is one of the most remarkable attributes of Guilty Pleasures.

The combining of several elements namely horror and mystery created a distinctive atmosphere that surrounded this novel. The identity of the murderer who was surreptitiously slaughtering master vampires remained hidden until in a shocking scene Anita suddenly realizes, when faced with a life and death situation, who the killer really is and why they feel the need to horrifically slaughter those who are already deceased. This continuance of a compelling mystery added relevance and enjoyment to the story effectively combining the fundamentals of horror, the supernatural, and mystery.

The effortless writing style was personal and conversational allowing the reader to enter into Anita's mind and experience her world first hand. This approach lent great value to the tale and enabled the reader to fully sympathize with Anita and vicariously indulge in her emotional dilemmas.

To conclude, the creative world of Anita Blake is a world the reader will want to continue to visit. The compelling characters, effective combination of various literary elements, and the general uniqueness of the tale all weave together to create a great work that is sure to entertain and entrance leading the reader ever deeper into the dark world of Anita and her undead companions. Dare you indulge in Guilty Pleasures?

- Ravenova

The characters were not believable or relatable. The story is scattered and silly. I will not ridicule anyone for enjoying these books but I won't be buying anymore and I won't allow anyone I know to make the same mistake I did.

I don't leave many reviews, but if you've happened to read some of my other ones, you'll know that I don't care for books written in the first person. I got this book because of recommendations from my friends. What I didn't know was that it was a first person perspective. Didn't read. Don't want too.

I have seen the absurd controversy that have put this author and this series at the center of a whirlwind of hateful, spiteful, angry people; my wife has long been a fan, and has been caught up in it. I wanted to understand, and so I thought I would try it for myself and find out.

The first book is quite good; the main character is interesting, sometimes amusing, with a definitely attractive vulnerability and mystique. She has a believable toughness, and though the vampires seem to me overly powerful at times, requiring a sort of shortcut/deus ex machina for Anita to be able to survive against them, still it is not unreasonable, particularly with the knowledge that the series carries on with the same characters and the same plotlines for quite some time.

I enjoyed the mystery, and I felt it had a good twist and a good explanation for the crimes. It resolved well, which is no meant feat in a short novel that focuses far more on the hero's struggle with these undead monsters. I thought the character of Phillip was a bit overdone; there seems too little attachment there for the reaction that the vampires elicit from Anita, but again, not unreasonable. I can easily understand it as a human's -- well, mostly-human's -- immediate alliance with a fellow human against inhuman things.

The writing was extremely good for the genre; Hamilton has excellent descriptions and well-drawn characters without overly lengthy expositions. Definitely some humorous parts, and some good action sequences.

It's a good start. I look forward to reading more.

Hated it, hated every moment. Yet another angry heroine like Tanya Huff's Vicki of the "Blood" series or the wolf girl from Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series.

The were-rats who feel themselves up, zombies, vampire strip clubs - bleck!

There's nothing sexy or romantic about these books. It's another "look at me, I'm SO tough!" brass-bound-b***h novel. I'm a woman, I appreciate strong female leads. But, if you really want to read a GREAT vampire novel, read Robin McKinley's "Sunshine" it's my most favorite vampire book of all time. Magic, romance, taking on an ultimate evil, etc. Well thought out, very easy to relate to and deep.

Anita Blake simply comes out swearing, guns blazing, and gets bruised and cut a lot and nearly loses her temper and tries to maim "people" several times. I've read it before, and it's probably not the last time I'll see something like this, unfortunately!

Hated it, hated every moment. Yet another angry heroine like Tanya Huff's Vicki of the "Blood" series or the wolf girl from Patricia Briggs' series, the name of which slips my mind now.

The were-rats who feel themselves up, zombies, vampire strip clubs - bleck!

There's nothing sexy or romantic about these books. It's another "look at me, I'm SO tough!" brass-bound-b***h novel. I'm a woman, I appreciate strong female leads. But, if you really want to read a GREAT vampire novel, read Robin McKinley's "Sunshine" it's my most favorite vampire book of all time. Magic, romance, taking on an ultimate evil, etc. Well thought out, very easy to relate to and deep.

Anita Blake simply comes out swearing, guns blazing, and gets bruised and cut a lot and nearly loses her temper and tries to maim "people" several times. I've read it before, and it's probably not the last time I'll see something like this, unfortunately!

Every so often I come across a book that makes me say aloud while reading "I could do better." Book One in the Anita Baker series, "Guilty Pleasures" by Laurell K. Hamilton is one of those.

First let me say two things. One, this post will probably contain minor spoilers for those interested in the book. Two, I'm not a published author so I technically don't have a leg to stand on in that respect, but I am a consumer of written materials so my criticism stems from being an unsatisfied customer.

Let's start with the length of the book. Barely over 250 pages its definitely light reading. I find the Jim Butcher "Dresden" series to be enjoyable popcorn books (similar to popcorn flicks) but even those are respectably over 300 pages. Not to mention better in many more ways. Also, the events in the book occur over the course of basically 72 hours. To have that much stuff jam packed into three days is crap.

Characterization in this book is flimsy at best. We spend more time reading about what characters are wearing than seeing any action from them or dialogue that reveals them in any real fashion. Anita Baker is the stereotypical tough "short chick." Even with a first person narrative you really don't get a sense of her.

Motivation is also another issue. Actually, a HUGE issue. This is a book about vampires, werewolves and all that bump in the night stuff. Suspense of disbelief is de facto with this genre, but when even in these situations you're wondering what the hell is this character thinking, you have problems. Anita really doesn't do anything of her own volition. She rolls with the punches and barrels ahead with no real thinking. The book is painfully plot driven. At one point the phone rings and she jets off to put a zombie back in the grave, instead of formulating a plan of attack to kill the 1000 year old vampire that's after her. Her excuse to perform this ritual is so paper thin it hurts. Its just an excuse for the author to put her in another "situation" that she needs to get herself out of. Very very lame.

Even one of the main traits of this character is brushed off at the end. From the very beginning of the book we see Anita rail against mind control. She has an intense fear of it as is shown throughout the book, YET at the end of the story she lets the one vampire that is actually infiltrating her mind live. Intense pathological fear that gives her the willpower to resist it most of the time and she lets the one that CAN invade her mind live cause he's a lace wearing frilly pretty boy. Nice.

The final showdown was disappointing as hell too. Anti climactic to a T. You think a 1000 year old vampire would A, fight a hell of a lot harder and B, not be such a 1 dimensional "sadistic child" character. We get that she's a child bride figure. It's written almost every time the character appears. We get the point, but it seems that the author forgot that the child bride deal was supposed to be a facade for the vampire. You don't live 1000 years by being a petulant child, you accomplish that by being a ruthless cold blooded mf-ing killer with Machiavellian skills. How did this temper tantrum throwing little girl become a master vampire of St. Louis?

The more scrutiny the book is under the more it falls apart, which is sad. I was looking for a good supernatural series in an Anne Rice sort of vein. Instead I get this weak attempt at a narrative that might get better for the first couple of books, but which devolves into thinly veiled pornographic romps with nightmare creatures. C'mon, Anne Rice's books were erotic not Skinamax. I'm not willing to invest any more time in a series that might be ok for 3 or 4 books but slide into crap (as per what many of the reviews have said).

It was like a bad film, not B movie or campy enough to be amusing. All it did was leave me unfulfilled and wanting my money back.

The first book in the Anita Blake Vampire series by Laurell K. Hamilton came highly recommended to me by a fellow vampire lover. Expecting to be dazzled, I was left feeling curiously flat as I pondered the novel upon turning the last page. Told in first person, we follow animator (translation: she raises the dead) Anita Blake as she finds herself entangled in the world of vampires, much to her dislike. Somehow she has to find out who has been killing vampires and she has a very short time in which to do so. Anita likes to work alone and yet she is forced to work with male stripper Phillip and vampire tracker Edward in order to achieve her goals. Peopled with basically unlikeable vamps and ghouls, there is action, but also a lot of dithering around.

The novel is indeed creepy, and the scene in which Anita helps Zachary raise a zombie is truly frightening. I also liked the humor and Anita's sarcasm, and there is definitely an attraction between Anita and sexy Jean-Claude. Anita's one tough cookie and she carries herself well, even if she does spend 2/3 of the novel beaten up. There is, however, a good deal of very graphic violence; scenes of torture and death permeate the story. I would love to know how Anita ended up as an animator and why she so dislikes vampires. Perhaps those questions are answered in later books, but I'm not so sure I'll continue on with the series. Basically, outside of Anita, I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable and the repeated gore got old after a bit. Interesting concept, however.

For those of you who haven't heard of Anita Blake, let me give you the rundown: Anita Blake is an animator. She has an affinity with the dead - all dead. She raises zombies for a living, but also carries the title of The Executioner. She kills vampires for the court. And she is very good at what she does.

In this, the first Anita Blake novel, the thousand-year-old master of St. Louis is gunning for Anita. Someone or something has been killing vampires, and has already managed to take out two of the most powerful vampires in the city. Nikolaos, the master, wants Anita to make these killings stop - and she will go to great lengths to ensure Anita does what she wants.

Having read most of the series in the past, and knowing what the series' reputation is, let me say that it starts off very good. The first half of the series is a horror series, with some mystery. Anita goes against different baddies, figuring out who is behind the recent slayings she investigates with the police. There is increasingly more sexual tension as the series progresses, and yes, the second half of the series is little more than porn interspersed with a little plot and bigger and badder bad guys.

BUT. The first few books are, without a doubt, very well written. I enjoy them immensely, and reread them every year for a reason.

This was the first vampire book I ever read. I guess it's just not my genre because I just couldn't get into it. I found it really boring. The Anita Blake series is a favorite of a few friends of mine, so I suppose you just have to like vampire books.

The first novel in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. This is beautifully written novel, that grabs you from the first paragraph, and holds on tight.

I am reading my way through this series. I am late to reading this series. I won't go into all of the details of the book, many others have done that before me. Anita Blake, animator and vampire hunter, in Guilty Pleasures, she is hunting someone that is killing Vampires, and she faced down the Vampire Master, a truly evil being that looks like a 10 year old girl. I am looking forward to reading the entire series.

After seeing this series repeatedly recommended, I decided to give it a shot. While I'm glad I did, it wasn't exactly my favorite. I found Anita's character mostly annoying and was unable to connect with her. Even in her supposedly *vulnerable* moments (where she's self-doubting or afraid) she's still essentially a tough guy in a woman's body and I don't generally like female characters who act like men in order to be strong. I like female characters who are strong because of their femininity, not in spite of it.

The romantic tension with Jean Claude would have been so much better had there been more of it, but even that was lacking. He was by far my favorite character but he hardly appeared in the story. While he was relevant to it, the actual scenes in which he appeared were few and far between. I found myself skipping ahead to see where he showed up next because the only parts of the book I really enjoyed were the ones with him.

I'll read the next two in the series because I already ordered them, but I may be done at that point. It depends on a great deal on whether or not there's more to Anita than just lame comments like buddy for me, goody for me and riight, I'm a big, bad vampire hunter/animator. I hope so.

well this my first time reading one of laurrel k. hamiltons books, and i didnt find it at all mind blowing.I usuwally can say at least three nice things any book or thing, but the only item i find interesting in Guilty Pleasures is that Anita is a vampire HUNTER.I find Guilty Pleaasures extremely slow paced. the begining and the verry ending are interesting but the middle is pointless.
Anita Blake is a vampire hunter. I find her character strong but a little unrealistic.considering the fact that everyday she gets beaten up and but the next day half of the bruses are not even there. and in most cases she should have broken a bone but its like nothing afterwards.
Im sorry Hamiltion but i just dont find it verry gripping.well maybee its just my weird taste.
(ok not the best review ever but hey im just warning y'all)

I decided to read this book after the many comments that were left in the Rachel Morgan series saying that Anita Blake is a much better read. So I was very excited to start reading this book. I was greatly dissapointed!
First of all, the character is not described in enough detail and is not presented in a way that you want to connect to her. I felt nothing when I read the book, I didn't feel sorry for her. Secondly, the story is so plain, I mean there are no side twists - NOTHING, just a straight path to the end (which is very predictable by the way). Then, there are no other real characters developed well enough in the book to create a little world - the author just scratched the surface without even trying to dip the reader deeper to create a connection. Very cliche, language is too grave - no humor. Did not enjoy this at all and will not continue with the series. I like the Rachel Morgan series and Sookie Stackhouse Series much much much better.

I really enjoyed this - the pages almost turned by themselves.

In recent months, I have been getting acquainted with Urban Fantasy. Most of it has been interesting; though many writers are trying to cash in on the popularity who have no idea how to write. Hamilton is above average in writing ability and better than that at providing some good characters within a good plot and enough humor to offset the gore.

This was a fun and suspenseful read. In my opinion, it is not of the quality of Green, Butcher, & Harrison in this sub-genre. There were too many repetitions. I kept saying to Hamilton (think she was listening?) "I get it already." The numerous reviews already posted will tell you too much about the characters and story line (with way too many spoilers without warning). I guess I can best sum up my feelings by saying I've ordered the next two.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!!! If you haven't read the reviews for the upcoming books in this series, please do not read this. Unfortunately, I did read them. It seems I am supposed to really like the first 8 (9?) in the series and then be shocked at the changes Hamilton makes. GASP!! Of course, like those who wrote the scathing reviews of #9 (10?), I am supposed to keep buying them and reading them and being upset. Kind of like "General Hospital" becoming "General Bordello" with the expected furor from the faithful; though not a hand moves toward the remote. I'm almost tempted to jump to those episodes to see what all the fuss is about. Instead, I'll try them in order. If I'm still entertained by the time I reach the end of the earth, I may be brave enough to step over the edge. END OF SPOILER (and review).

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'm such a fan of this series it's disgusting. I'd buy tickets to "Anita Blake on Ice" if they had it. Lord help me, I love this series - and you will too!

No spoilers.

Love the character Anita Blake. Strong independant woman though still alive with insecurities. I like her "magic touch" and honesty.

The book is well written, detailed and has a very good plotline.


Just watch out Explicit contents!!!

This book is rather poorly written. I thought I was just being picky but I noticed quite a few other reviews said the same thing. It sounds like how I used to write when I was in high school.

She uses extremely strange descriptive sentences, like, 'his mind held me like velvet steel.' Or. 'I felt the bones in my head sliding forward as I moved up. He had to hold the bones in my head together.' Or describing a scar as 'slick roughness'. What the heck does any of that mean? Bones don't slide in your head, and if they were, I don't think you'd still be alive.

I don't think that she has an editor to be honest. If she does, then the editor didn't try very hard.

Anyway, the writing's poor, the plot moves at a snail's pace, and Anita's a jerk. The world she describes is introduced under the assumption that you already know what a vampire is so she doesn't go into much detail. It reads kind of like vampire fanfiction created to put all of her vampire fantasies of attractive and suave vampire men on paper.

I was hoping I could overlook the bad writing and just enjoy the story but the ending was just as bad. I was terrified when the author wrapped up the mystery of the vampire killer by sending Anita on a random zombie job in the last ten pages of the book and she accidentally runs into the killer. This is it. This is how the mystery is solved. To top it off, the clients from the zombie job never showed up, showing just how little thought was put into the whole scene. The only purpose the random zombie job served was so Anita could accidentally run into the killer. It was like a horrible joke.

Anyway, if you really like vampires and don't mind any of these problems, then you'll probably like it. I have a few friends that love this series, it just wasn't for me.

No spoilers.

Love the character Anita Blake. Strong independant woman though still alive with insecurities. I like her "magic touch" and honesty.

The book is well written, detailed and has a very good plotline.


Just watch out Explicit contents!!!

This book is rather poorly written. I thought I was just being picky but I noticed quite a few other reviews said the same thing. It sounds like how I used to write when I was in high school.

She uses extremely strange descriptive sentences, like, 'his mind held me like velvet steel.' Or. 'I felt the bones in my head sliding forward as I moved up. He had to hold the bones in my head together.' Or describing a scar as 'slick roughness'. What the heck does any of that mean? Bones don't slide in your head, and if they were, I don't think you'd still be alive.

I don't think that she has an editor to be honest. If she does, then the editor didn't try very hard.

Anyway, the writing's poor, the plot moves at a snail's pace, and Anita's a jerk. The world she describes is introduced under the assumption that you already know what a vampire is so she doesn't go into much detail. It reads kind of like vampire fanfiction created to put all of her vampire fantasies of attractive and suave vampire men on paper.

If you really like vampires and don't mind any of these problems, then you'll probably like it. I have a few friends that love this series, it just wasn't for me.

Outrages, highly sensual and at times too graphic for the faint of heart, Guilty Pleasures, the first book in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels, gives the reader, particularly vampire fans, exactly what they want, gallons of haemoglobin, charismatic and handsome "Gentleman Undead" and an unlikely villain, at least on the surface, a thousand year old "Master Vampire" in the body of a cute, pubescent girl. As the cliché goes, `looks can be deceiving' which is certainly the case here - Guilty Pleasures is an action thriller that never lets up."

Hamilton has created an entirely believable fantasy world where vampires have the same "Rights" as humans. Most follow the laws of the state, but there are always a few bad apples that spoil it for everybody. Anita Blake has two jobs, the "executioner" of out-of-control-vampires and what is termed an animator, the know-how to raise the dead. In fact she works for a small company, Animators Inc., who charge exorbitant rates to raise dead loved ones to sort out Wills, things that wanted to be said before death, etc. This is pretty morbid, but there is a market and the business is successful.

The city's most powerful vampires are being murdered one by one and the local police have zero leads, except that each murder has the same M.O., decapitation, the bodies are torn into and partly eaten.

Nikolaos, the most powerful vampire in the city, blackmails Anita Blake into taking the case and find who is murdering these powerful vampires and execute if necessary; or bring the perpetrator to Nikolaos - a terrible fate indeed.

This book and its series was recommended to me by many here @ Amazon. Finally, I've gotten around to reading Guilty Pleasures and found it to be entertaining for any horror fan with a little wit thrown in for good measure.

If you like horror and the vampire genre in general, you cannot go wrong with this novel.

Anita Blake has become something of a household word since Guilty Pleasures was first published in 1993. The concept is interesting as Anita lives in an imaginary Earth where werewolves, vampires, zombies, and other supernatural creatures are a part of life. Anita is an "animator" who can raise the dead into zombies but she's also a part-time vampire hunter known as the "Executioner" by the fang and cape set. In this book, the chief vampire of the city demands that she help solve a series of unusually vicious murders where the victims were vampires. Anita is not inclined to help, but they mange to make her an offer she can't refuse. From there, a whole series of supernatural encounters ensue leading to a fairly tidy resolution at the end of the story.

Guilty Pleasures is an interesting attempt to blend the hard-boiled detective with gothic mythology. It's not easy for a 105-pound woman to be as tough as a Sam Spade, but Hamilton imbues her with attitude to spare and a touch of vulnerability. At times the first person narrative is a touch forced or hits a wrong note but overall the writing and tone is solid. There is plenty of suspense and action to keep readers on the edge of their seats. The murder mystery is not very well developed and the solution almost seems accidental but this didn't seriously hurt my enjoyment of the story. There weren't any characters here that I'm likely to remember for life but they were solid enough to support the story and Anita's wise guy remarks are pretty funny most of the time.

Guilty Pleasures is well named. It is indeed a guilty pleasure to read it. This book will not win respect from elite literary groups and it won't make you re-evaluate your life, but it will provide several hours of entertainment and that's fine with me. I was looking for a good horror/thriller novel and this fit the bill nicely. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for the same.

Worth reading if you like the genre.
I'm on book 4 now of the series. I really appreciate Laurell Hamilton's sense of humor.

The current avg. rating for this book is 4 stars. I don't know why. I had a difficult time with liking this book. It was just not appealing and didn't capture me. This is my 1st Hamilton novel and I'm afraid I'll have to past on the rest of the series. Especially if she continues the use of fragment sentences. It was a little too much. Hard to understand at times.

Ms. Hamilton dives right into her story without taking any time to clarify what the world is like. She mentions the issue of vampires wanting legal rights and proceeds to introduce a handful of crazy, murderous vampires, leaving you to wonder why anyone would ever consider lobbying to give them legal protection. Most of the characters in the book are strangely inconsistent and erratic. The Master Vampire demands that Anita help her solve a mystery and then spends most of the book terrorizing Anita and preventing her from making any headway on the case. Just didn't like it.

The current avg. rating for this book is 4 stars. I don't know why. I had a difficult time with liking this book. It was just not appealing and didn't capture me. This is my 1st Hamilton novel and I'm afraid I'll have to past on the rest of the series. Especially if she continues the use of fragment sentences. It was a little too much. Hard to understand at times.

Ms. Hamilton dives right into her story without taking any time to clarify what the world is like. She mentions the issue of vampires wanting legal rights and proceeds to introduce a handful of crazy, murderous vampires, leaving you to wonder why anyone would ever consider lobbying to give them legal protection. Most of the characters in the book are strangely inconsistent and erratic. The Master Vampire demands that Anita help her solve a mystery and then spends most of the book terrorizing Anita and preventing her from making any headway on the case. Just didn't like it.

I originally picked up this book in order to start to get into the world of Anita Blake, since it seems to be so popular lately. Unfortunately, I think that the writing style is a little too straightforward - there aren't enough plot twists, at least not in this first novel, for me to really maintain absolute interest. That said, it is interesting, and I did enjoy the overall plot. It's worth reading, but definitely not worth all of the hype attributed to the series...hopefully the plots get a little better as the series progresses.

Guilty Pleasures was a very interesting book, a very good example of speculative fiction. It is set in a universe that is similar to ours, but the supernatural aspects are in the open. Vampires, Zombies, and other creatures are an accepted fact.

It is also the first book, at this point both chronologically and in published order, in the Anita Blake series.

Anita is the heroine, an animator (one who raises zombies) who just so happens to be the official vampire executioner of Missouri, and an important part of the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. Vampires have rights, so she needs a warrant to execute a vampire, and a warrant can only be obtained officially.

Vampires in this world, at least in the United States, have rights, but they are still vampires. They are monsters, but at least they are not one-dimensional monsters, and the book starts with the vampires needing Anita's help.

You see, someone has been killing vampires, and the vampires don't quite trust the police to find out who it is. From there, the action starts. You see the vampires don't quite like Anita either, but since they believe they can coerce her to do so, they set the plans in action. Guilty Pleasures is also a strip club, for vampires, owned by a vampire named Jean Claude, and the site of the true start of the action involving the Master (vampire) of the city.

In the book Anita is bounced between vampires and assassins and voodoo practitioners, and embroiled in the political maneuverings of vampires, all in the effort to protect a friend, protect herself, and solve a mystery that she would rather not have to deal with.

This is a book I would strongly recommend to almost anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, or mysteries. Fans of horror may find Guilty Pleasures a bit of a light offering. I also think this may be a bit mature for young readers, especially if they tend to follow up on series. Overall I greatly enjoyed the book and think it is one of the better alternate universe settings in fiction today.

Guilty Pleasures was a very interesting book, a very good example of speculative fiction. It is set in a universe that is similar to ours, but the supernatural aspects are in the open. Vampires, Zombies, and other creatures are an accepted fact.

It is also the first book, at this point both chronologically and in published order, in the Anita Blake series.

Anita is the heroine, an animator (one who raises zombies) who just so happens to be the official vampire executioner of Missouri, and an important part of the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. Vampires have rights, so she needs a warrant to execute a vampire, and a warrant can only be obtained officially.

Vampires in this world, at least in the United States, have rights, but they are still vampires. They are monsters, but at least they are not one-dimensional monsters, and the book starts with the vampires needing Anita's help.

You see, someone has been killing vampires, and the vampires don't quite trust the police to find out who it is. From there, the action starts. You see the vampires don't quite like Anita either, but since they believe they can coerce her to do so, they set the plans in action. Guilty Pleasures is also a strip club, for vampires, owned by a vampire named Jean Claude, and the site of the true start of the action involving the Master (vampire) of the city.

In the book Anita is bounced between vampires and assassins and voodoo practitioners, and embroiled in the political maneuverings of vampires, all in the effort to protect a friend, protect herself, and solve a mystery that she would rather not have to deal with.

This is a book I would strongly recommend to almost anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, or mysteries. Fans of horror may find Guilty Pleasures a bit of a light offering. I also think this may be a bit mature for young readers, especially if they tend to follow up on series. Overall I greatly enjoyed the book and think it is one of the better alternate universe settings in fiction today.

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!

The start of an interesting series. Anita Blake must balance her life between being a vampire hunter, and a legally licensed one at that, a private necromancer, and her own repressed catholic schoolgirl self.

With all this to do she finds it hard to have healthy relationships, but she is good at solving crimes that relate to the supernatural population, and putting an end to their unlives permanently, if necessary.

Imagine a world where vampires,werewolves, and other monsters are real and that they have been given citizenship. That is the world in which Guilty Pleasures thrusts us. Guilty Pleasures is the first book in Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series, also the name of a vampire strip club.

This first book follows Anita Blake through some very close and sometimes messy encounters with vampires as she tracks down a serial killer that is targeting vampires. She is tricked into helping the master of the city to hunt this serial killer.

First of all, this world is much like ours but some may say it is an alternate universe, one where vampires, werewolves, zombies, and all manner of other supernatural creatures are commonplace. I try to think of it as the real world.

Anita is a petite yet deadly young woman who makes her living as a zombie raiser and licenced vampire killer (hence her nickname; the Vampires call her The Executioner, a name she wears with pride).

While the book is a bit short in some ways, Hamilton's writing is very nice, and descriptive. While there is ALOT graphic violence and sexual innuendo, it is much more of an adventure story than it is of horror.

I especially liked...

The way you were thrown into it. I honestly thought that this was not the first novel. I looked for one before this but ther was none. There was not a lot of explaining like most first novels tend to do.

I didn't like...

How short it was,it is the shortest of the the series, 14 more books have appeared for a total of 15 I think...

When I finished reading this Book I wanted to...

Read the next book and tell all my friends about it.

This Book made me feel...

Thankful that it was only a novel and not the real world. I would hate to meet any of the characters in a dark alley.

The author of this Book...

Is one of my favorites and has been ever since I read this book. although her recent stuff is just vampire soft porn. but this 1st book is one of the best.

I recommend this Book because...

If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and things with a bit of humor in it then this is the book for you.

Hamilton definitely has some story telling skills but this novel jumped the shark pretty quickly for me. A bit less strip club, a bit more character and plot development would be great. I appreciate some of the great moments of tension and action but didn't feel swept up in the story like many others have been.

Have you missed the mean streets of Raymond Chandler or wanted to hunt the moors with Holmes and Watson? Ever wonder what it would be like to search the streets of London when Saucy Jack roamed? How about joining Van Helsing and the friends racing across Europe to corner Dracula? Then step up and take pen in hand this is the job for you. Laurel K Hamilton weaves a world of strange things that definately go bump in the night. Anita Blake belongs to that rare and wonderful Eldritch Noir genre. Enough detective to make Sam Spade smile and still turn up creepies around every corner. And this girl kicks butt. In fact she knows enough about things that go bang to be the NRA's poster girl. But if she gets backed into a corner help is just a phone call away. Stand aside Spenser's Hawk or E Z Rollins Mouse, there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Edward. Edward is death but don't let that intimidate you.
Romance vampires, date werewolves and still be in bed by dawn, alone with just a stuffed penguin. This a book to buy and read and re-read. The only question is what do you tell the boss when you call in sick to finish tale? Stay away from the bookstore, these thing are more habit forming than peanuts.

I've been wanting to read the Anita Blake novels for years. Well, I finally sat down an did it. This is a good book and has elements of horror, mystery, and hard-boiled crime stories.

Anita Blake is approached by the master vampire of St. Louis to find the person behind a group of vampire murders. She says no but after some horrifying persuasion she says yes. So begins the case which will take her to some seedy parts of the city.

Not anything bad to say about this book. It was good through and through. I'm now reading The Laughing Corpse and so far, so good.

I have read Guilty Pleasures and The Laughing Corpse. I am not much for reading a series but my sister gave me these books over Thanksgiving and I've just know gotten to them. I like them so much, that after reading The Laughing Corpse, I immediately jumped onto Amazon.com to get the rest of the series.

I especially enjoy the disjointed comic undertone running through the entire story and Anita's point of view as she works her way through one impossible quandary after another. Totally refreshing after reading other authors (Anne Rice, Stephen King) who have become so oppressive in their writing styles that I have quit reading them completely.

I plan to read the entire series and keep it in my personal library!

I can't imagine anyone rating this book lower than 4 stars. Some reviews might be low based on what other books in the series do to the characters, maybe reviewers have qualms with the author. So far, I've only read to book 5.

Character development, world description, pacing of the book, mystery element, action, dialog, etc. it's all top notch in this book. Hamilton really outlined the characters and this plot well. The product is simply amazing. The story chains together chapter to chapter really well. The plot unfolds just right and nothing seems rushed. At no point did the story feel like it was dragging.

Anita's world is explained very well. Her profession was original and the setting where vampires and shape-shifters are out in the open is pulled off well in the story. The story is told from Anita's point of view and the dialog between the characters is really good. Sometimes dialog comes off as cheesy, but Hamilton hit a home run here.

I could really relate with the Anita character. Everyone mentions she is tough, but what I got from her was that she was intelligent and calculating. She was very focused and didn't second guess herself... very confident. The Edward character was great, and he continues to mix it up in books 3 and 4. I liked Jean Claude in this book even though he didn't get much time due to happenings in the story. In the books to follow he grows into a really good character.

Ive read the first 5 books of these series and really theyre not that great. This is of course my opnion so its no disrespect to anyone who likes her series- its just not my cup of tea. The plot is OK at best and the writing style is similar to harry potter + violence. She has nothing on Anne Rice! And some of the vampire stuff in these books are not orginal at all or doesnt expand what we think of vampires. (I mean come on, crosses and holy water and stakes...could she be anymore generic? And the whole vampire romance is way over done..) I admit, I like the introduction of different types of fabled creatures like lycanthropes and lamias and necromancy...its a nice touch and not many authors have develed into these creatures. However, its just her writing style that really makes me not want to continue this series. Sometimes she has little catch phrases that make me want to roll my eyes. And her main character I just cant relate to at all..(can anyone?) If you want to read a book whose characters have the depth of a cheap romance novel- this is the book for you. Otherwise, get something else!

My apologies to anyone who actually likes her books, I mean no offense, its just my opnion

It came in great condition, the shipping was fast and there were absolutely NO mistakes!

All the hundreds of thousands of wannabe writers out there (including yours truly) and THIS is what gets published. Granted, it's a great premise, its just terrible writing and saddest of all (judging by the success of this series) no one can tell the difference. But by all means if you want writing that tells instead of shows, ideas that don't develop any further than it takes to read in a chapter about the length of a visit to the toilet and characters as memorable and charismatic as the physical paper they are printed on, don't delay, this is the book you've been waiting for.

On the other hand, it's only fair that I point out that I've seen the comic book version and it's perfectly suited for that medium, it works much better in that form.

I'm not here to bash the writer, her success or loyal fans, just offering a warning to anyone who might stumble across this review to reconsider before diving in. Ms Hamilton is cackling all the way to the bank, I'm certain her writing has improved over the course of the series and I certainly don't begrudge her success one iota. I just didn't like her book, in a big way.

There's definitely no shortage of vampire novels, and in the effort to mine new twists out of the genre, it was inevitable that the vampire story would crossover into mysteries. I don't know if Laurell Hamilton is the first to do so (she isn't the last), but she is probably the most successful. Guilty Pleasures is her first novel featuring Anita Blake, a sort of Kinsey Millhone for the bloodsucker set.

Actually, Anita is not a private eye but is an animator, a person who reanimates the dead. In an alternate St. Louis where ghouls, werebeasts, zombies and vampires are commonplace, Anita works for a private investigation company by raising the dead so they can answer key questions. When she can, she also likes to kill vampires, and she has the scars to prove it.

Despite the fact that she is not a private eye, she is coerced into working for Nikolaos, a very powerful master vampire. Nikolaos wants Anita to find out who's slaying vampires; if she doesn't, there is definite mortal peril involved. In Anita's world, the undead have civil rights, so vampires are not allowed to be slain indiscriminately. The course of the investigation will put Anita in some very dangerous situations.

Hamilton does a good job of making the threats to Anita seem real; at times, it feels like Anita is in way over her head; although she is a skilled vampire killer, Nikolaos and the other vampires are more powerful than anything she's ever dealt with before. Hamilton is also good at making this strange, supernatural world reasonably plausible. On the minus side, Hamilton's writing sometimes isn't as engaging as it should be; it's one of those cases where there is nothing particularly wrong with it, but it is still merely good, not great. But even if Hamilton isn't horror's version of Sue Grafton yet, this is an entertaining read that will please most fans of vampire stories.

I will keep this short since many others have reviewed this book. I have never read a vampire book before, but so far i am loving this book. I have trouble putting it down. I wish that I not started this book and series right before finals week haha

Laurell K Hamilton really introduces you to a new world of master vampires and voodoo. I love the character Anita Blake, shes smart, witty, and tough. The mix of action and mystery, combined with a little sexual tension makes it all the worth while. Great start to a series of books. I loved it.

When I first read this book seven years ago, I liked it a lot. I quickly rushed out to by the rest of the series that was available in paperback. This was shortly after Hamilton jumped into hardback, and like most authors that I've followed over the years, jumped the shark. As the series progressed, I came to the conclusion that I no longer liked it and though the recent books were abysmal. I now follow it out of a sense of duty to see how bad it can get. For years, I've wanted to go back and read the first six books again, but I've been afraid that my loathing of the later books would color my perceptions. Did it? Not really. My issues with Guilty Pleasures the second time around stem from the fact that the concept behind this debut novel is stronger than its actual execution.

The concept behind the Anita Blake series is that the supernatural world interacts daily with the human world. The normal world that we know is juxtaposed against hints of a frightening, urban, supernatural subculture that isn't fully understood. Vampires, werewolves, and zombies walk the streets of St. Louis and humanity isn't quite sure how to deal with that, legally or morally. When one of these supernatural denizens gets out of hands, the law called on Anita Blake, necromancer and vampire executioner. She's got an affinity with death, as she can raise the dead from their graves as easily as she can send them back there, a spiffy collection of weapons, and enough attitude and moxy to land her in a lot of trouble and maybe get out of it too.

In Guilty Pleasures, a night out with the girls turns into a night of terror. Anita is summoned by the Master Vampire of the City's underground chamber and forced to find out who is tearing powerful vampires limb from limb. If she refuses, she dies now. If she takes on the job, she dies later as she manages to anger the master vampire with her smart mouth. It's up to Anita to crack the case and kill the vampires before they kill her.

Originally published in 1993, Anita Blake very much comes across as a brain child of the 80's. St. Louis is like the the city from Streets of Fire if that place had vampires instead of marauding motorcycle gangs. A string of now well-worn Anne Rice clichés- a little girl vampire as evil incarnate, a French vampire that dresses like a gay pirate- mixes with Hamilton's own original and intriguing ideas- raising zombies as a business, a vampire church, legal status of supernaturals, ect.

The main problem is while the world is interesting, the characters and their place in it is less than well explored. Anita herself is an necromancer first and a vampire slayer second. The reason why she puts her life at risk to kill the undead is never properly explained. A main character without a good reason to do what see does is a pretty big oversight. It seems like Hamilton envisioned Anita as a necromancer first and only added the vampire hunter angle in later to make the book more marketable. Anita has a network of informants and allies to help her solve the mystery. However, they only appear or are mentioned when they needed to move the plot forward. It's a little too convenient, I think, that when Anita needs to contact a shape shifter boss, she just so happens to know a shape shifter. As none of them have much of a back-story as Anita never explains how she came too know them. I can't help but think Hamilton just sort of made them up as she went along.

I'm already a third of the way into the next book, the Laughing Corpse, and already I can see that Hamilton's confidence as a writer has grown in the time period between the two books. While interesting and enjoyable to read, Guilty Pleasures was only a stepping stone for Hamilton. She had yet to reach her full potential.

I love all the Anita Blake books!
They are set in our time with the exception that metaphysical creatures are real. Vampires are legal citizens. You can catch Lycanthropy and be turned furry once a month as a werewolf or other were creature... And more

The series starts with "Guilty Pleasures" where Anita -whom vampires call the Executioner- has to battle the Master Vampire of St. Louis. Anita is the registered legal vampire slayer for the mid-west as well as a necromancer - someone who raises zombies for a living. This book intros Vampire Jean-Claude. Anita starts out viewing him as "just another monster" but her feelings shift as the story moves on...

There are 14 books so far in the series (#15 will be released in June and I can't wait!). The series covers vampires, were animals (werewolves, wereleopards, etc), voodoo, witches, necromancers, demons, and a host of other metaphysical creatures.

Oh, and did I mention the sex? Every book has some really great sex scenes... And the sex gets more explicit and hotter with every book!
This is a must read series for anyone interested in vampires or weres!

This is a mystery story.

The main character is, in effect, a private detective.

The book just happens to be full of vampires, voodoo, and so on.

As other reviewers have stated, this is a good book with a likeable character. I have recommended the book to others who wanted vampire fiction or liked tough-girl heroines or liked action/adventure (kidnapped/blackmailed to do PI work for vampires is action/adventure!).

There is a warning that should be communicated with every recommendation, though, for people tempted to follow the series: the author's first attempts to describe sex graphically are poor (not in this volume, it's action/adventure, there's suggestion and threat of sex but it does not appear here). You might find yourself turning the pages until the story resumes. Later, Hamilton describes sexual encounters that have connection to the characters' motives/values/mission, and clearly advance the author's plot, and those can be read without the jarring sensation that your head has been thrust into a peepshow viewer. Just be warned that Hamilton's foray into describing sex it starts off pretty bad. Unfortunately, this is apparently her sex writing by default: later on when the page count of sexual encounters exceeds the page count dealing with adversaries, she doesn't invest the time to make the scenes fit into anything ... and in a few books neglects to give you a theme, a plot arc, or anything you can say you got from the book. Eventually she runs from one meaningless sexual encounter unconnected to the present story to another one, with no intervening plot to give you an excuse to keep reading. You finish only because you can't believe she'd actually publish a whole book lacking even one completed story line, and then you sit, amazed you were made to part with the cover price.

So I recommend this book, but I warn you the author's later work is inconsistent. At the time of this review I have stopped buying further material from this author (the series about the faerie princess NicEssus quickly becomes mostly an excuse for escalating sex, like Book 12 in this series: despite rather than in furtherance of the story's action) until someone I trust informs me Hamilton has produced work showing the pride of craftsmanship that characterizes her early volumes in this series. The author appears to have stopped caring about the quality of her output now that her name is on the auto-order list for a many retail outlets. It's a shame to lose a promising series to laziness.

But note that THIS volume has a lot of stars on it: this is a specimen of Hamilton's output when she is actually working. This book is a good read.