The Anita Blake series is the best supernatural series written because it deals with more than Vampires (although they tend to play a major role in most of the novels). It also deals with shapeshifters(they are more prominent in the later books) and of course Zombies. The Laughing Corpse is the second novel in the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. This book is witty, humorous (although the humor can be dark), and interesting. Its a page turner that will keep your attention.

The background for the series is that some of the supernatural have been given rights as citizens in the United States. You have to have an execution order to kill vampires; Lycanthropy (shapeshifting) is a disease and you can't discriminate against it; and in this novel they are working on establishing rights for Zombies. Necromancy(raising the dead) is also a profession. They raise Zombies to settle disputes like problems with a will. Most of the novels take place in or around St. Louis, MO which has become a center for the supernatural. So much so that the police even have established a "spook squad" to deal with supernatural crimes. Anita is a consultant for the squad since she has a college degree in the supernatural and has come into contact with most things that go bump in the night. Jean-Claude (a vampire that appeared in the first novel) is now the Master of the city (equal to the king of the vampires in that particular city). Anita has two marks (its takes four) in the process of becoming Jean-Claude's human servant. A human servant lives as long as the vampire, but does not have to drink blood. They also enhance the vampire's power.

Anita's character is great, she grows through the novels--often doing things she never thought she would or could do. In this novel, she finds out just how much power, as a necromancer, she has which has been somewhat enhanced by Jean-Claude's marks. Anita is 5'3 kick butt woman. She is called the executioner by the vampires since she has 18 kills. She carries silver knives and guns loaded with silver bullets (silver will kill a shape-shifter and slow a vampire down) and takes crap from no one despite their size, strength or power. The girl has attitude(gets her in trouble sometimes).

The plot in this novel revolves more around her necromancy than it does with the vampires even though Jean-Claude is constantly trying to get her to go out with him through the novel. Something is lose and eating people in the most horrible manner possible leaving only lumps of the bodies behind(Hamilton can be very descriptive--you have been warned). Anita does not know what it is, but thinks it could be some kind of flesh eating zombie--although it is too coordinated and quick to be a zombie. To complicate manners Harold Gaynor is trying to bully Anita into raising a zombie that is so old that it requires a human sacrifice to be raise which is against Anita's morals. Plus Jean-Clause is after her to be his Human servant, and Anita's gets on the bad side of the most powerful Voodoo Queen, Dominga Salvador in the area who sends nasties in the night to kill her. Its a tough week. Of course, all this ties together in a nice neat ending that I won't give away. You really don't have to have read the first one to read this one, but it helps a little--characters that were in the first book reappear in this one.

This is a great book--I like some of the later novels better because the plots become more involved in the later novels, plus I like the ones that features the vampires. Jean-Claude is a favorite character of mine. Hamilton has a good style that is easy and compelling to read. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes books about the supernatural.

Recommended: Yes