Laurell K. Hamilton, Guilty Pleasures (Orbit, 2003)
'The vampire wasn't as old as Jean-Claude, nor as good. I sat there feeling the press and flow of over a hundred years of power, and it wasn't enough. I felt him move up through the tables. He had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure the poor humans wouldn't see him come. He would simply appear in their midst, like magic.'
This is where a franchise began, the first outing of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. The character is representative of a type of woman that has become popularised in recent times, due, in part, to the dread effects of Political Correctness, which have left some men confused as to who and what they should be. Blake is tough yet sexy, she likes men, but only on her own terms, and she's pricklier than a box full of hedgehogs. Anyone who gets in her way better have great insurance. Anita actually makes her living as an Animator; one who brings back the dead, quite legitimately, for paying customers. Her side job, more of a vocation, is killing vampires. It's a job she's good at: so good, that the local undead have named her the Executioner, apparently oblivious to a certain Mac Bolan, who had first dibs on the title.
Guilty Pleasures is the name of a nightclub run by Jean-Claude, a classically styled vampire of European origin, charming, urbane and honourable. There is, however, one above him — the Master of the City, Nickolaos. Not only is the master female, but her centuries old form is that of an innocent looking, very young, blonde girl. Nickolaos is very unhappy about a serial killer, who is preying on vampires, and wants to exact her own brand of justice on whoever is responsible. Under normal circumstances, pigs would fly over the Moon before Anita Blake would assist such a creature. But these aren't normal times. Her friend, Catherine Maison, becomes endangered via a party flirtation with vampires which goes wrong, and in order to save her life, Anita makes a deal. Her exploits and escapes are sometimes on a par with those of Jack Bauer, but more fun, due in the main to attention to detail and acerbic humour. For example, Blake meets contacts in Dead Dave's, a bar owned by a vampire who used to be a cop, but was kicked off the force, for being dead.
'I had to peel the zombie's hands from his face, then turn the face up to stare at me. One look was enough. Dark eyes were incredibly wide, fear, such fear. A thin line of spittle oozed from his mouth. I shook my head and stood. "You've broken him."'
Told in the first person, the story is always claustrophobic. As the plot unfolds, there are more twists than a string factory, including a brush with death which leaves Anita endowed with some vampiric abilities, mostly to do with perception and resistance to mind games. Laurell K. Hamilton clearly put a lot of thought into creating and populating a convincing alternate world. It's familiar enough so that there's no huge effort required to understand the rules, yet different enough to remain enticing. The supporting cast, who are referred to on first name terms, mostly come across as having their own lives. Very few give the impression of being there purely to support the main character. Those worthy of a special mention include Phillip, a masochist who gets his kicks from being used and abused by vampires, Rafael the Rat King, Edward, a human who is on a mission to kill all vampires, and Malcolm, an enterprising master vampire who runs the Church of Eternal Life. This is the first church in history that can guarantee you eternal life, and prove it!
'He rewarded me with one of those brilliant smiles. If I had been less professional, it might have melted me into my socks. There was a tinge of evil to it, a lot of sex, but under that was a little boy peeking out, an uncertain little boy. That was it. That was the attraction. Nothing is more appealing than a handsome man who is also uncertain of himself.'
Slick, slightly greasy, but never dull, Guilty Pleasures is first and foremost a occult themed action thriller. The depth and finesse applied by other authors writing about vampires are deliberately set aside. In their place is the adrenalin kick provided by an ever present threat of violence, the ticking time-bomb of supernatural slaughter, and a frisson of forbidden desire. Anita Blake knows that while some vampires can be romantic and charming, at the end of the night they're all blood-suckers. As an Amazon for the modern age, she gives Wonder Woman a run for her money, but wouldn't be seen dead in star-spangled knickers.
