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Description edit
Animator and vampire hunter Anita Blake is about to discover that some secrets are better left buried-and some people better off dead...
A client offer Anita to raise a very old zombie, which needed human sacrifice to do so, and she rejected the job. Then there are many murders happen... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
"The older the zombie, the bigger death needed to raise it."
After a few centuries, the only death "big enough" is a human sacrifice. I know, because I'm an animator. My name is Anita Blake.
Working for Animators, Inc., is just a job--like selling insurance. But all the money in... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Anita Blake: Animator, Necromancer, Vampire Executioner, Jean-Claude's unwilling Human Servant. The heroin of the story.
- Jean-Claude: Master of The City of St. Louis, Master Vampire, Anita's Master, Owns Guilty Pleasures and The Laughing Corpse
- Zerbrowski: Stereotypical rumpled, smart-alec, but highly competent detective and a loyal friend to Anita. He also makes wisecracks about Anita's personal life and is a cheerful lech.
- Dominga Salvador: Old Woman and animator.
- Manuel Rodriquez: Manny is an older animator and vampire executioner. Manny and Bert founded Animators, Inc. in a small room above a garage in 1986. He was Anita's mentor. After almost dying during a hunt he agrees to his wife's wishes and retires from vampire executions.
- Rudolph Storr: Dolph is a police officer who was assigned to head up St. Louis' Regional Preternatural Investigation Team (RPIT) after the passage of Addison v. Clark, investigating supernatural related crimes.
- Bert Vaughn: Founder and managing partner of Animators, Inc.. Bert is an unscrupulous boss who is inclined to sign the animators up for almost any job if the price is right. He and Anita often clash over Bert's choices of potential clients and jobs for Anita.
- Wanda: AKA Wheelchair Wanda, prostitute. One of Gaynor's ex-girlfriends.
- Mr. Harold Gaynor: a very rich paraplegic that wanted to raise a 283 year old ancestor hoping to find the location of hidden treasure.
- Charles Montgomery: An animator at Animators, Inc. Because he is built like an offensive lineman, Anita sometimes uses Charles as "muscle." However, he is actually a gentle family man who would not hurt anyone.
- Mr. Bruno: One of Harold's bodyguards. Works for Harold because the money is too good.
- Irving Griswold: A short, balding werewolf with a day job as an investigative reporter for a Saint Louis newspaper. Irving remains closeted at his day job in order to avoid discrimination, and frequently exchanges information with Anita.
- Enzo: Dominga's bodyguard.
- Veronica Simms: Ronnie is Anita's best friend and her usual workout partner and confidante. A private investigator on retainer with Animators, Inc.
- Willie McCoy: A small-time hood turned vampire. The first vampire friend of Anita's, he is one of only two or three vampires Anita has known before and after being turned. He is the manager of the comedy club "The Laughing Corpse".
- Evans: A touch-clairvoyant who stays locked into his trailer from the outside world. Anita goes to him for help in a case.
- Dead Dave: Dave is an ex-cop who was kicked off the force after he became a vampire and who now owns a bar called Dead Dave's. Though still bitter at the police for kicking him off the force, Dave sells and gives information to Anita to aid her investigations.
- Mr. John Burke: John is a powerful animator, vaudun priest, and vampire executioner.
- Cicely: Deaf and demented lover of Harold
- Luther: A human bartender at Dead Dave's. He works the day shift and frequently acts as Anita's informant on the bar's owner, Dave's, behalf. He is a chain smoker.
- Mrs. Pringle: A neighbor of Anita.
- Peter Burke: He was an animator who's death might be connected to a string of murders. Brother of John Burke.
- Antonio: Dominga's bodyguard and grandson
- Jamison Clarke: An animator at Animators, Inc. He typically clashes with Anita over Anita's side job as vampire executioner. Unlike Anita, Jamison believes that vampires are essentially people, and disapproves of executing them without trial.
- Catherine Maison: Anita's best friend. She is a criminal attorney. She gets married in this book.
- Clive Perry: One of the newest recruits to RPIT. Anita is curious to know what it was that he did to get transferred to the Spook Squad. He always seemed so soft-spoken and pleasant. She could never imagine Perry doing anything rude enough to piss someone off, but you didn't get assigned to the squad without a reason.
- Tommy: Harold's disgusting and twisted bodyguard.
- Mrs. Cassidy: The wedding planner for Catherine's wedding. Is always fussing over Anita's various scars.
- Kasey Markowitz: Flower girl in Catherine's wedding.
- Elsie Markowitz: Katey's Mother. A friend of Catherine's as well.
- Ellen Grisholm: A client of Animators Inc. who's therapist thought is would be good for her to talk things out with her now dead father.
- Rosa or Rosita: Manny's wife who is always trying to find Anita a husband. A very faithful Christian.
- Benjamin Renyolds: One of the murder victims in Anita's case. He was three years old.
- Grandma Flores: Anita's Grandmother who trained her. The one that told Anita's father it would help her if she did not practice voodoo.
- The Lao: Voodoo gods
- Caroline Montgomery: Charle's wife.
- Albert: Rosa's cousin. Rosa wants to set Anita up with him because he will "make a good husband".
- Lucille: Dolph's wife.
- Seymore: Hired thug to bring Anita to Gaynor.
- Pete: Another hired thug to bring Anita to Gaynor
- The Amazing Albert: Comic at the Laughing Corpse who works with Zombies in his show.
- Erine: Zombie in The Amazing Ablert's show at the Laughing Corpse.
- Dr. Marian Saville: The head coroner for the city.
- Officer Ki: An officer that helps look for the Zombie.
- Officer Roberts: An officer that looks for the Zombie. Partners with Ki.
- Seymour: Add a description of this character.
- Ernie
- Benjamin Reynolds
- Judith
- Manny Rodriguez
- Veronica Sims
- Brady
- Merlioni
- Mr. Jean Jacket
Quotes edit
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“If I ever buy a gown with sequins on it, someone just shoot me.”
Anita Blake -
“I decided not to answer on the grounds that it might piss someone off.”
Anita Blake -
“Paranoia is just another word for longevity.”
Anita Blake -
“...stupidity isn't punishable by death. If it was, there would be a hell of a population drop.”
Anita Blake
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”
Highlighted by 59 Kindle customers -
“Your eyes are the clearest mirror I have ever seen, ma petite. Whenever I begin to pretend to myself. Whenever I have delusions of life. I have only to look into your face and see the truth.”
Highlighted by 51 Kindle customers -
People are supposed to fear the unknown, but ignorance is bliss when knowledge is so damn frightening.
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My own mother had died when I was eight. You never really filled in the hole. It was like a piece of you gone missing. An ache that never quite goes away. You deal with it. You go on, but it’s there.
Highlighted by 36 Kindle customers -
I wasn’t crying, my eyes were running. My eyes were running because there were pieces of zombie all over my toys. Jesus.
Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers -
It was like carrying a thermonuclear device to kill ants. Overkill has always been a specialty of mine.
Highlighted by 32 Kindle customers -
Rule number three hundred sixty-nine when dealing with unfamiliar magic: when in doubt, leave it alone.
Highlighted by 18 Kindle customers -
Grandmother Flores had told me that I was a necromancer.
Highlighted by 14 Kindle customers -
Contents Acknowledgments
Highlighted by 12 Kindle customers -
Had to see. Had to look. Might find a clue. Sure, and pigs could fucking fly. But still, maybe, maybe there would be a clue. Maybe. Hope is a lying bitch.
Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
- St. Louis, Missouri
- The Laughing Corpse: New vampire comedy club in the District
- The District: Also called Blood Square, a section of St. Louis where supernatural businesses and citizens cluster
Organizations edit
- Regional Preternatural Investigation Team: RPIT, usually pronounced "Rip-It", is an extension of the St. Louis Police Department charged with keeping the peace between the human and supernatural communities by investigating all crimes with a supernatural aspect, and apprehending and/or exterminating the guilty parties. It has only recently been formed, largely as a half-hearted effort to placate the liberals and the press after the groundbreaking Addison vs. Clark case. Its remit is to investigate all supernatural crimes, whether it be committed against humans or against the supernatural beings themselves, including Vampires, Lycanthropes, Zombies, Ghouls, and more. Derogatorily known as the "Spook Squad", it is not considered a positive career move to join it, and it is comprised mostly of police officers who have aggravated their superiors in some way or another.
- Animators, Inc.: One of the most successful animator companies in the US. Although having begun as a small business in a spare room above a garage, it has grown, moving to bigger and better offices and hiring additional animators and secretarial staff. Though primarily aimed at raising the dead, the nature of the business has attracted other clients who wished to utilize the animator's expert supernatural knowledge, especially after vampires won civil rights. The firm usually receives contracts to have the dead raised as zombies, usually as witnesses in legal cases, setting will disputes, and sometimes as a last chance to have a word with a loved one who has passed away.
First Sentence edit
HAROLD GAYNOR'S HOUSE sat in the middle of intense green lawn and the graceful sweep of trees.
Table of Contents edit
Chapters 1-40
Series & Lists edit
This is book 2 of 26 in Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter. (standard series)
Preceded by Guilty Pleasures, and followed by Circus of the Damned.
This book is in Vampire (community list). (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Laurell K. Hamilton (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Craig White (artist) (Cover Artist)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Ace Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: January 1, 1994
ISBN: 0441000916
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Ace Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: January 1, 1994
ISBN: 0441000916
Page Count: 304
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS3558.A443357 L38 2003
- Dewey: 813.54
Subjects edit
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
- Laurell K. Hamilton: Author's Website
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