The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) [Mass Market Paperback]

Employed by Animators, Inc., to raise the dead, Anita's sideline is slaying vampires - the ones who murder humans. She collaborates with the police's Regional Preternatural Investigation Team when hunting the criminal undead. A call from her counterpart, Sergeant Rudolph Storr, informs her that a badly mutilated body has shown up in the hinterlands of St. Louis. A crime appears to have been committed, perhaps by a werewolf given the nature of the wounds. Anita is convinced that a supernatural creature is the killer...but what kind of creature? "If there were no prints, could it have flown in? A Gargoyle maybe? It was the only large winged predator that attacked men. Except for dragons, but they weren't native to the country, and it would have been a hell of a lot messier. Or a lot neater. A dragon would simply have swallowed the man whole. Gargoyles will attack and kill a man, but it's rare. Besides, the nearest pack was in Kelly, Kentucky. What else could it be? There were a few lesser eastern trolls in the Ozarks, but not this close to St. Louis." In any event, whatever killed the human, the local sheriff and cohorts are determined to hinder Anita from discovering the truth.

Meanwhile, Anita's greedy boss Bert, always out to make a buck, passes a missing person's case to her. Several members of Richard's "lunarly disadvantaged" pack have disappeared. Richard is entangled in a fight over the leadership of the pack with fellow werewolf, and present leader, Marcus. And Jean-Claude is growing increasingly hostile about what he perceives to be a lovers' triangle. Rage, vindictiveness and jealousy, anyone? Anita may have removed Jean-Claude from the picture permanently, but according to Jean-Claude's ego, he is way ahead of all the competition.

As if this isn't enough to fill a book, a sub-plot concerning snuff/porn films involving lycanthropes and humans is revealed. The films and murders lead Edward, called "Death" by the vampires, to join the case, to the chagrin of Anita and the undead.

Dominance is a major issue in "The Lunatic Cafe." Aside from Richard vying for "leader of the pack" status with the unlovable Marcus, and Jean-Claude constantly asserting himself as Master Vamp of St. Louis, Anita has to constantly prove that she can take on all comers and still survive. And she is challenged all the time....and gets beat up badly, frequently, but does prevail.

Laurell Hamilton is at her best in "The Lunatic Cafe." She is an excellent writer who, with much flair and pizzazz, mixes fantasy with mystery, romance and dark humor. Her take on this derivative genre is a most unusual one. The mystery is at the fore of her novels, the supernatural takes second place, almost taken for granted as part of Anita Blake's natural world. And Ms. Blake is a delight - witty, savvy, and a major cynic with a tender heart. This gal has attitude with a capital "A." I highly recommend this series. A warning, however - to really enjoy these novels, and the characters' development, the books should be read in order. (at least the 1st four).
JANA

With each book, the reader gets a clearer idea about what the place in which Anita lives in is like. For example, we find out that there are creatures that we did not know existed in this world, like dragons, gargoyles and trolls. Also, we learn that discrimination against lycanthropes is illegal but existent nonetheless. In this case, everything starts when the husband of one particular lycanthrope shows up at Anita's office looking for help, since his wife is missing and he cannot go to the authorities for fear she will be fired if the "secret" comes out. In addition to this, Dolph, who works with the preternatural unit of the police department, summons Anita because there has been a murder of suspicious nature. Anita determines that the murder was committed by a shapeshifter, denomination that includes werewolves.

Besides the "usual" type of situations Anita faces, she has to deal with her relationship with Richard, and his battle for the leadership of the wolf pack with an alpha male called Marcus. Jean-Claude will not go away without a fight, and he is trying to get Anita to date him instead of the werewolf. To complete the picture, there is a female vampire that is in love with Jean Claude and thinks that the only way to get her prize is to eliminate her competition. Anita describes this situation perfectly: "Bully for me!"

Hamilton is perfecting a world and a character that grab the attention and the heart of the reader without letting go. As the story progresses, we learn more about Anita's past, her relationship with her mother, her previous experience with love, etc. Also, the reader comes to cherish some of the characters that at first seem unlikable, like Edward, the "gun for hire". A friend told me that the series will get kinkier as it progresses, and I already saw this happen in this book, but this change in tone matches perfectly the mood of the main character. The truth is, I cannot get enough of Anita Blake!

The combined love interest of a werewolf and a vampire is certainly different, (and goes a long way towards making Anita a fully fleshed out character),the plot's a real page turner, and the casual integration of mythology comes off perfectly.

All in all, a good thing!