I discovered Anita while browsing Barnes & Noble during a stop-over in New York. I bought the first book of the series - Guilty Pleasures - and got immediately hooked. It took me about three days to finish the book. Then I stormed the next bookstore I could find to get all the sequels available. :-) Yes, I like Anita Blake that much! :-) I had to read all the following novels because I just NEEDED to know what's happening in Anita's life! :-) And it got juicier and juicier with every book...

Found on amazon.com and it pretty much sums up what I'm thinking:
""The Laughing Corpse" is the second in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, although the focus is much more on her job as an Animator than as the person the vampires call The Executioner. Once again, the title is taken from the name of a St. Louis hangout for those who like to visit the dark side, in this case a comedy club (helpful hint: zombies do not like to be the butt of jokes). This time around Anita is in way over her head with a whole bunch of serious problems. A lord of the underworld wants to pay her big time bucks to raise someone who has been dead for a couple of hundred years and does not like it that Anita refuses because the only way to do so requires a human sacrifice. Her friend Catherine is getting married and wants Anita to be a bridesmaid, which involves wearing a pink gown that has to be altered to cover all of her scars. The voodoo priestess for the entire Midwest has learned how to put a person's soul back in their dead body, which stops the zombies from decaying, and Anita refuses to help her raise more zombies for profit. Meanwhile, Jean-Claude, the Master Vampire of St. Louis who has already put two of his marks upon our heroine, demands Anita start acting like his human servant. But Anita is trying to focus on a savage zombie that is going around murdering families in their home, making her problems with three powerful people who refuse to take "No" for an answer rather inconsequential. Like it says on the coffee mug her boss would not let her have at the office, "It's a dirty job and I get to do it."
I was surprised to decide at the end of "The Laughing Corpse" that it was not only an improvement over the first book in the series, but one of the best horror stories I have ever read (and I read a lot of horror novels). There is a lot going on here, but Hamilton weaves the various cases, most of which would have sustained an entire novel, into a coherent narrative. I really was surprised when everything came together in the end. Hamilton has a much surer sense of her character this time around and I have every reason to believe that future novels in the series will be at least as good as this way. These books deserve their reputation and popularity if the rest are any where near as good as "The Laughing Corpse."

Big Time Warning: this is a gruesome book. Younger readers of "The Laughing Corpse" are going to be upset by several of the scenes, especially when Anita investigates the bloody crime scenes and the climatic encounter. I read these sections in the light of day and they were still disturbing. Those who come to this series because of their love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer need to be told that this is a much darker world where the violence is brutally horrific and not beautifully choreographed. These books are much more intense. If they made this into a film it would give "The Exorcist" a run for its money. Remember, you were given fair warning."

After I get the first book in the series back from my friend, I'll start a Europe-only bookring for the first 4 novels in the Anita Blake series.

Some guidelines:
1. Please journal the book when it arrives (so we know it's safe and sound with you), once you read it (to let us know how you liked it) and when you ship it off (so we know it's on its way to the next reader).

2. Please PM the next person in line before shipping the books off, not only for the adress, but also to ask if they are still interested in the ring!

3. I would suggest that you don't ship off all four books together (except you're an extraordinary fast reader!) but in packages of two (1+2, 3+4) or one after the other.

4. Try not to take longer than four weeks per book.

5. And the most important thing: Have fun!

Here are the participants so far in shipping order:
1. cathepsut (Egypt)
2. Agrippine314 (DE)
3. Haltestelle (DE)
4. Pegafli (DE)
5. Mary-T (DE)
6. adeps (SE)
7. candy-is-dandy (UK)
8. sadogs (UK)
9. rmg (UK)
10. cloggy (UK)
11. Sterile (UK)
12. ...
13. ...
... back to me, Morgaine77

RELEASE NOTES:

sent to cathepsut. Enjoy! :-)

Arrived today, thanks! I will try to be fast....

From the back cover:
"At five-three I am not imposing. Raise the dead, kill a few vampires, and people start considering you one of the monsters. Sometimes it hurt. But now... it had possibilities. 'Do you really think I came in here unarmed?' I asked. My voice sounded very matter-of-fact... 'Want to bet your life on it?' "

I expected more vampires, so I was a bit disappointed, when it took almost until the middle of the book for the first one to show. I thought the story line of this one was not as good as the first one. Very one-dimensional, no big surprises. Well, besides of the very brutal murders with a lot of gory detail. Not for the faint hearted. But then, when the story started to pull to a close, my god did it pick up speed! And so did I, over the last 100 pages. I practically ravished the book, occasionally reading out especially yucky passages to a friend, who spent the best part of an hour squealing in disgust. What great fun! Yay for Anita, go girl and beat the crap out of all of them!

The book will travel in the next few days. I will take a few days to read something else and then start no.3! Have to avoid an Anita-overdose...

RELEASE NOTES:

Finally sending this on, sorry for the delay! Have fun with Anita...

Received this book yesterday, together with Guilty Pleasures...

I will do my very best to get the books on their way again, soon!

Thanks for sending and lending them!

RELEASE NOTES:

Arrived today with to other Anita Blake novels. I´ll try my best... :-)

So, I finished this one too! I´ve send a PM to pegafli, while I´m reading Part 3...

On his way to pegafli!

the book arrived today. thanks to haltestelle for sending me this book.

finished this book two days ago. nice zombie-story. but nothing new. very bloody again. many dead bodies. Hamilton uses the same way of writing. the same boring descriptions of environments and Anitas clothes. mostly I skipped this parts. in the end I finished this book because I wanted to know how this story runs out. let's look, what part three brings to light. :)

send to Mary-T

Found this one along with the 1st part in front of my door today. Thanks for mailing, Pegafli. :)
Anita Blake will have to be patient - since here are other rings as well I need to read first. But I will try to be fast.

21.8.06
After the first part I decided not to read the other books... it will be sent to adeps this afternoon.

...and a book...

I liked this book as well, but I liked the first one a little more. The change of subject bothered me at first, but after a while I found it better that the series wasn't just about psychotic vampires. I wonder what more interesting creatures Anita Blake meets...

On my way to the post office right.......now

Received with Book1 in the series from adeps. Looking forward to trying a new genre - I've not read vampire type books before and not at all sure what I will think. Thanks for sharing Morgaine77.

Huge apologies! I've kept these books too long and then decided half way through this one that they are not for me. I just found it a real struggle to read, not because of the gore but the whole vampire/ghoul/undead thing. It just doesn't interest me.

I've PM'd sadogs, who is next in line, for her address and will get the first two off to her and will send the other 2 off in 2-3 weeks time.

Thanks for sharing - at least I had a go at a new genre.

Huge apologies! I've kept these books too long and then decided half way through this one that they are not for me. I just found it a real struggle to read, not because of the gore but the whole vampire/ghoul/undead thing. It just doesn't interest me.

I've PM'd sadogs, who is next in line, for her address and will get the first two off to her and will send the other 2 off in 2-3 weeks time.

Thanks for sharing - at least I had a go at a new genre.

arrived yesterday with the first book- have made a start already.

Finished this today and will post onto rmg when I get the address. I can't wait for the next in the series, I would like to see how the relationship between Jean-Claude and Anita develops

Arrived this afternoon together with 'Guilty Pleasures'. Just when I was getting confused by getting books 3 & 4 this morning..... problem solved
All 4 books are with me now. Will read parts 1 & 2 first and send those off.

Arrived this morning with book 1 will set them up for the next in line on Mount TBR and then post them back to Morgaine77.

This book and the first in the series will travel back to Morgaine77 on Tuesday 3rd July. Thanks for letting me take part in the ring!

The book arrived safely back home, patiently waiting for me until I got home from my vacation today. Thank everyone for making this a succesful ring!