Anita Blake makes a living raising the dead. She also executes rogue vampires and villains among the local were-folk. Marks bind her to Jean-Claude, the Master vampire of St. Louis and her lover, and to her ex-fiancé, a powerful werewolf who heads up the local pack. Anita shares some of their magic, and her own power over the dead keeps growing. But so does the body count and the situations that force Anita to bend or break her own rules.

In Blue Moon, Anita's ex Richard is jailed in Tennessee, accused of rape. When Anita arrives with a lawyer and an entourage of vampires and 'weres' supplied by Jean-Claude, it's clear that something is rotten in Myerton. The local cops are corrupt, and the trolls Richard was studying are threatened. But if she sticks around to investigate, the local Master vampire will attack her and her friends. The local werewolf clan isn't rushing to welcome her either, and her self-control is going to the, um, wolves.

Blue Moon is the eighth book in Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series; newcomers should start with earlier books. The protagonists' development and their relationships to each other and to the large cast of continuing secondary characters are what make these books so compelling. Be warned--there's steamy sex and graphic violence here, though Anita does reflect on her moral position. But if dark urban fantasy featuring those who hunt the night appeals, pounce on this series.

List of books in the Anita Blake series:
1. Guilty Pleasures (1993)
2. The Laughing Corpse (1994)
3. Circus of the Damned (1995)
4. The Lunatic Cafe (1996)
5. Bloody Bones (1996)
6. The Killing Dance (1997)
7. Burnt Offerings (1998)
8. Blue Moon (1998)
9. Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
10. Narcissus in Chains (2001)
11. Cerulean Sins (2003)
12. Incubus Dreams (2004)
13. Micah (2006)
14. Danse Macabre (2006)
15. The Harlequin (2007)
16. Blood Noir (2008)
17. Skin Trade (2009)
18. Flirt (February 2010)
19. Bullet (June 2010)
20. Hit List (June 2011)
21. Kiss the Dead (June 2012)
22. Affliction (July 2013)
23. Jason (December 2014)
24. Dead Ice (June 2015)
25. Crimson Death (October 2016)
26. Serpentine (August 7, 2018)
27. Sucker Punch (August 4, 2020)
28. Rafael (February 9, 2021)
29. Smolder (March 21, 2023)
30. Slay (November 7, 2023)

I originally read this book in a bookring organised by Morgaine77. Here's a link to the bookring copy.

Copy of my review, written on Wednesday, September 03, 2008:
I finally read the 8th book in the Anita Blake series, and I have to say, I think it was my favorite so far! Jean-Claude has always annoyed the hell out of me, and I thought it was great that he was almost completely absent from this book. :) Instead Anita got to focus on her relationship with Richard, and I was glad to see they managed to get closer again.

I enjoyed reading about the werewolves and wereleopards, and what made the book so enjoyable was that Anita was never in a situation with only bad choices. I can't stand power struggles, like the one with Seraphina in Bloody Bones, which was mentioned several times in this book as the reason why Colin was so afraid of Anita. I prefer a mystery with some violence and sex thrown in. ;)

I wonder why Laurell K. Hamilton decided to make Anita have so many quibbles with sexuality? I can understand that her upbringing must have something to do with it, but I'm wondering if the author gets of kick of making a "virtuous" character "fall from grace"? (I'm using quotation marks because I personally don't believe one's sexual life has anything to do with how virtuous one is.) I just have a hard time relating to Anita, as I'm more of a touchy-feely person, and her relucatance to be touched was a recurring theme in the book.

Below is something that spoils the plot, highlight to read:
I was so happy that Anita and Richard finally had sex! And I was even happier that Anita wanted to do it, and didn't regret it afterwards! I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going...

I'm looking forward to reading more of this series, and learning more about Anita's powers. I just hope we haven't seen the last zombie raising yet...

I left the book on the book exchange shelf at Vuosaari library.

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