Book 2 of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series didn’t rein me in as much as the first one did. I am still thinking supernatural Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich’s sassy bounty hunter). These ladies are very similar in demeanor. Tough chicks, small in stature, non-threatening looking, but both pack a punch. Anita’s comes in the form of being able to raise the dead. Stephanie’s comes in the form of being able to track down deadbeats and get herself into trouble. Both have some men looking out for them. Both don’t think they need those men but both are saved from dangerous situations by said males.

This second installment didn’t tie in to the first at all, other than vague mention of the vampire queen Nicholas and the appearance from time to time of Jean-Claude, the vampire Master of the City. So at first I was thinking I might have read the series out of order and actually had to google the series to make sure!

I don’t know why this one didn’t hold my interest as much. Maybe because it felt so disconnected. Maybe because I’m still not convinced Anita and Stephanie are two separate people. Maybe it’s because the title, The Laughing Corpse, was the name of the bar that Jean-Claude owned, and really had nothing to do with the story at all. There were definitely some corpses, none of which were laughing.

Will I continue on with this series? I don’t know. Not any time soon. I might just take a break from vampires and supernatural in general for a while.