63. Harris, Charlaine. Grave surprise. 320 pages. 6.1.09.


64. Hamilton, Laurell K. Skin Trade. 486 pages. 6.4.09.


There is something extremely satisfying about reaching 250 pages, and realizing that you're only about halfway through a novel. At 486 pages, Laurell K. Hamilton's Skin Trade is just such a book. Skin Trade follows Anita as she travels to Vegas in pursuit of the vampire serial killer, Vittorio, and shows far greater story development than some of the smuttier Anita books of late.

In all, there seems to be a riff in Anita Blake fans - those who enjoy the evolving character, and those who long for the more simplistic days of "Anita the Prude". The latest installment in the series will satisfy both sets of fans. While the metaphysics that have come to play a large role in Anita's life don't simply disappear, the first sex scene does not come into play until page 378. Instead of developing the physical consequences of Anita's entanglement with "the monsters," readers watch her emotional development as she battles with the ever-present of ideas of good vs. evil, and what truly makes someone a monster. Always present is the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Hamilton skillfully leads her audience through the moral and personal consequences associated with gaining so much power.

While I personally enjoy the decadence of later Blake books, I can still see the attraction of the more professionally-centered books, and believe Skin Trade will deliver to a wide range of Anita Blake fans. Although lacking several of my own favorite characters, Skin Trade strikes a strong balance between the older books and the new, and is sure to win back a number of alienated Anita Blake fans. I highly recommend it.