Written by Laurell K. Hamilton
SUMMARY:
Released through Jove Books in October 2002, this 266-page paperback launches the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter saga. Narrated in her first-person point-of-view, Anita’s world is an alternate reality set in present-day St. Louis, MO, where vampires, werewolves, and other ghouls openly co-exist with humanity.
Beyond her usual occupation as an ‘animator’ (one who temporarily raises zombies), Anita also works as a vampire hunter — earning her the professional nickname of “Executioner.”
Initially declining to investigate a serial killer stalking vampires, Anita is extorted into the grisly matter by a vampire horde inhabiting the River District strip bar known as ‘Guilty Pleasures.’ Among them at this seedy nightclub is the enigmatically suave Jean-Claude, who enjoys baiting Anita, with his own lusty mind games.
Meanwhile, Edward, a ruthless rival hunter, seeks her inside intel on the identity of the city’s new supreme vampire. How dirty he is willing to play against his frenemy, Anita, remains to be seen. Further complicating Anita’s efforts to infiltrate the evil lurking deep within Guilty Pleasures is the vampire stripper, Phillip, whose naivete may contribute to her downfall. Anita must make some shady alliances just to survive before finally bringing a depraved culprit to justice.
Notes: This book is available in hardcover. Guilty Pleasures was also adapted into a twelve-issue mini-series through Marvel Comics. In 2007-2008, Marvel’s adaptation appeared in graphic novel form as Volumes 1-2. Consolidating the two volumes, the complete Marvel version was released as a hardcover (2009) and paperback (2011).
REVIEW:
Evidently meant as erotic vampire noir along the lines of Anne Rice, the seedy Guilty Pleasures starts off okay introducing the tough-talking Anita. Hamilton, however, generates too few other characters that readers should find compelling or remotely care about.
Hence, the horror film-style twists propelling Guilty Pleasures haphazardly fall flat, as Hamilton piles on risqué plot elements and dark fantasy violence to compensate for a hollow storyline. Though a few intriguing sequences exhibit spark, Anita’s snarky persona holds up Guilty Pleasures’ narrative only so much.
Though the heroine’s snarky private eye-like insights are the plot’s best asset, Hamilton overplays Anita’s hard-nosed sarcasm to the point of exasperating readers. A little of this vampire hunter’s flippancy, suffice to say, goes a long way – too often, it’s more like overkill (pardon the expression).
This creative misjudgment, unfortunately permeates a sometimes icky plot that doesn’t have enough else going for it. Guilty Pleasures reliably oozes, but not with the goth sex appeal Hamilton thinks it does.
Note: This first Anita Blake mystery is relatively tame, as compared to the increasingly kinky and nonsensical elements Hamilton incorporates into Anita’s later books.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
A three-sentence blurb summarizes the author on the inside back cover.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4 Stars
