44.
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Title: Bullet
Publication: Hard back
Pages: 356 pages
Genre: Horror/erotica
Acquisition: Purchased June 1, 2010
Date Completed: June 4, 2010
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Every time I review an Anita Blake book I feel the need to distinguish between the "Vintage Blakers", who prefer the earlier books in the series, and the Progressive Blakers, who prefer the smut and loose morals of later books. I am without a doubt a Progressive Blaker, although I've enjoyed nearly every book in the series.

Flirt was the first Anita Blake book that I honestly did not enjoy; the novella did nothing more than add another unnecessary participant in the Circus Harem, and everything about the publication kind of fell flat. I had high hopes that Bullet would redeem the series, and I'm afraid it falls short of my expectations.

For the Anita readers who are frustrated with the level of erotica of later books: avoid Bullet entirely. Very little of the novel takes place outside of the Circus of the Damned, and that's because the novel is almost entirely erotica. On the plus side, some issues are resolved (although a little too quickly and easily for true narrative honesty), and a sense of peace and comfort descends upon the "family." Yes, new characters are introduced, but thankfully the angst is checked at the door, and the spirit of cooperation and open-mindedness takes residence.

On the bad side: First of all, I was disappointed in the "significant" deaths that take place. On Twitter, Laurell K. Hamilton hinted that Bullet would mark the end for some prominent characters, and the author herself claimed to weep over the loss of the characters destined to die. However, I did not feel the casualties were nearly as significant as Hamilton suggested. One death in particular is made poignant by Anita's emotional response, but even that was not really important in the story. My second major criticism is that I found much of the writing to be sloppy and amateur. At several points in the novel a paragraph will begin with Anita's observation, move into a description that validates or explains that observation .... and then repeats the observation itself. It reads like the kind of mistake a careless (or inexperienced) writer would make, and such slips really should have been caught by the author or editor during revisions of the novel itself. I'm not sure who is really to "blame", here, but I found it to be less than professional - especially for the nineteenth book in a series.

For Vintage Blakers, Bullet is probably a step back from the progress made in Skin Trade, but for Anita fans looking for a little bump and grind, Bullet would make a great beach (or bedroom) read.