Sucker Punch
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Book 27
by Laurell K. Hamilton
A brutal murder, a suspect in jail, and an execution planned—but what if the wrong person is about to be killed?
When a fellow U.S. Marshal asks Anita Blake to fly to a tiny community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on an emergency consult, she knows time is running short. When she arrives, there is plenty of proof that a young wereleopard killed his uncle in the most gruesome and bloody way possible. As the mounting evidence points to him, a warrant of execution is already under way.
But something seems off about the murder, and Anita has been asked for her expert opinion on the crime scene. Despite escalating pressure from local cops and the family’s cries for justice for their dead patriarch, Anita quickly realizes that the evidence doesn’t quite add up.
Time is against Anita, as the tight-knit community is up in arms and its fear of supernaturals is growing. She races to uncover the truth and determine whether the Marshals have caught the killer or are about to execute an innocent man—all in the name of justice.
When a fellow U.S. Marshal asks Anita Blake to fly to a tiny community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on an emergency consult, she knows time is running short. When she arrives, there is plenty of proof that a young wereleopard killed his uncle in the most gruesome and bloody way possible. As the mounting evidence points to him, a warrant of execution is already under way.
But something seems off about the murder, and Anita has been asked for her expert opinion on the crime scene. Despite escalating pressure from local cops and the family’s cries for justice for their dead patriarch, Anita quickly realizes that the evidence doesn’t quite add up.
Time is against Anita, as the tight-knit community is up in arms and its fear of supernaturals is growing. She races to uncover the truth and determine whether the Marshals have caught the killer or are about to execute an innocent man—all in the name of justice.
Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wow! 27 books in this series! Some parts make it seem like so much less and others make it seem like it should be more. That's been my feeling about this series for a few books now. I've loved some parts and could've done without others, but I've read them all and am thoroughly invested in these characters, at least most of these characters. Sucker Punch was pretty much the same - I loved some parts, and others... well, not so much.
I'll start with the length of the book. This thing is massive. I read it on my Kindle, but I think the retail listing has it at over 600 pages. I'll just be honest here, this book could've easily been cut in half, and it would've benefitted from the cut. A whole lot of this one was a rehashing of almost the same conversations or discussing those conversations or planning a conversation. Seriously, pages and pages of that along with tediously lengthy descriptions of everything. Those, I could've done without.
Speaking of, you'll be doing without Jean-Claude in this one. There is a noticeable lack of the sexy vampire, and I missed him. What we do get is an interesting case for Anita and company. That case was a little too easy to solve since the who behind the whodunit was glaringly obvious, but it was still interesting and I did want to see how that all played out. I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that the title makes perfect sense.
Another very noticeable missing element was the sexy time. There was lots and lots and lots of talk about it, but no actual steam was generated, which was a shock with such a long book. That didn't bother me, especially since nearly all of Anita's inner circle was absent, but it is worth noting with the direction these last several books have gone.
As far as favorite characters from the series, a couple of mine are front and center through much of this one. Edward/Ted has always been a favorite. He loses his cool in this one - only a bit, but it was still an interesting turn. Then we have one more of the horsemen, the creepiest - Olaf/Otto. Now., I won't pretend to like Olaf, but he does add a little spice to things. And that's the beauty of fiction. It's fun to have that character who is completely corrupt, completely broken, and to watch things play out. To see what he'll do next. That's Olaf for me.
The ending of this one surprised me, but looking back at everything that happened, a lot of it makes sense for this storyline. I will add that there was one thing in particular that happened at the conclusion that has me curious. Okay, there were a couple of things, but one of those was pretty much a given when you consider the people involved. The other thing is what I will be anxiously waiting to see play out.
To sum it up, Sucker Punch was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but when it was all said and done, I came away liking more than I disliked. Either way. I'm this far in, so I kind of feel like I know this nutty bunch of people, and I'll keep going because I enjoy visiting them from time to time, and I want to see where their stories go.
❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group
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