Mary's Review: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton

When one is tired out from classics, books that have that frustrating component of thought, there is something to be said for pulp. No meat, all frills novels that you won't remember in the morning, but made for great reading material while it was there. And that's exactly what this is. Ms. Hamilton certainly isn't going to win any awards, but take it for what it is and the book is certainly accessible--enjoyable even. A healthy dose of love for fiction on the mystical side doesn't hurt either. Anita Blake, vampire executioner, lives in a version of America where vampires, necromancers, and lycanthropes not only exist ; they have legal rights too. An interesting idea, and well and believably put into practice here. This first volume of a current fifteen-some book series finds our heroine (and kudos to Ms. Hamilton for creating a heroine not only un -annoying but tough and even likable, even in the eyes of a reviewer with a distate for female progtagonists), who raises the dead for a living by-the-by, investigating a series of vampire murders. This requires not only conquering her hatred of vampires but working with the irresistable, incorrigable Jean-Claude, vampire master, extraordinaire. Sounds pulpy, and really it is. Lots of blood, shootings, and some sexuality thrown in for good measure (it's a vampire book--this almost goes without saying). The later books ratchet up the sordid content a considerable amount, but here we have something not quite but (almost) middle school friendly. Don't forget to rest those brain cells occasionally, children.
Final Verdict: 3Q, 4P