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CERULEAN SINS is the eleventh book in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. In this episode, Ms. Blake is contacted by a man she quickly pegs as a hired assassin who says he wants to hire her for the purpose of raising one of his ancestors from the dead. As you follow the story, you discover that Ms. Blake is more than a "vampire hunter." She is an animator, macromancer, part shapeshifter, and the girlfriend of the Master Vampire. After completing a successful session of "animating" (raising a dead man) to settle an insurance claim between the insurance company and the man's widow, Ms. Blake becomes involved in trying to find a serial killer. At the same time, she has major problems in her love life and with the international politics of vampires, werewolves, and various "other worldly" creatures.
This is the first book in the Anita Blake series that I have read. I admit I was quite excited about reading the book, as I had heard good things about some of Laurel K. Hamilton's earlier works. However, I was extremely disappointed as I began to read the book. Most of the first half of the book was really one long, group sex act. Unfortunately, the sex had little to do with the plot and serves only to fill a good number of pages. The second half of the book did have more of a plot, with some mystery and detective work. For me, it was too little too late. If I had not been reviewing the book, I would have stopped reading after the first 50 or so pages and tossed it in the trash.
Ms. Hamilton's writing is quite good and I believe she could have produced an excellent book with the serial killer plot, if she would have gotten down to business and developed the plot, instead of turning out page after dreary page of vampire sex. Taken as it was written, the characters are ok, though the author really didn't make me care about any of them. Some of the characters had so many problems I should have felt some sympathy for them and should have continued to read with an expectant hope that their problems would come to a positive conclusion. That, however, was not the case. When I finished the book I said to myself, "That's nice," but I truly had no vested emotions in any of the characters. Furthermore, I was very disappointed that, in something called a "vampire hunter series", the hunter didn't "hunt" any vampires; instead, she had group sex with them. What is that about?
I really wanted to like this book. I like stories about vampires and other scary subjects. What I didn't want was a pornographic tale that ran for some 200+ pages of a 400-page book. It is a shame because I believe Ms. Hamilton could have produced a great book. To say I was let down is an understatement. I am sorry to say that it will likely be a very long time before I read another Laurell K. Hamilton book.
--- Reviewed by Barb Wright (Reviewers International Organization)
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