Although the title is actually the name of a nightclub within the book, Guilty Pleasures is just that, a guilty pleasure. Guilty Pleasures is about Anita Blake, an animator who is known in the vampire community as The Executioner. This is some point in the future when vampires are legalized, were-animals have their own kings, and people are raised from the dead to settle legal disputes.
Anita Blake works as an animator, someone who raises people from the dead to settle legal disputes or help people say their last goodbyes to the dead. On the side, Anita works with the police, specializing in vampire cases as her other side job is killing rogue vampires (after she gets a warrant). In Guilty Pleasures, there seems to be a series of vampire murders that has both the police and the master vampires of the city upset. It’s up to Anita to find out who the murderer is, not only to save her own life, but the life of a friend.
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton is an occult themed thriller that features action, prickly dialogue, and a sassy woman that leaves the reader wanting more. It is a quick read that will just fuel the supernatural fire that is burning in everyone. Although Guilty Pleasures is seen as a supernatural romance, there is very little romance and that is the biggest problem in this novel.
Overall, Guilty Pleasures gets my stamp of approval as a quick, dirty read.
