the Laughing Corpse by LK Hamilton

Everyone knows or has heard of the various legends and myths surrounding vampires and lycanthropes; libraries are filled with varying tales and characteristics of these creatures. However, there are few stories surrounding necromancers. In the second novel, The Laughing Corpse, Hamilton brings Blake’s talent to the forefront and includes us in Blake’s discovery of her own powers.

Her discovery begins when she rejects a job offer by a millionaire who wants to raise a 100+ year old ancestor. The older the ancestor, the more death is needed for the ritual and Blake is unwilling to sacrifice a white goat for the job, no matter how much money is involved. While repeatedly turning down his offer, Blake becomes involved in a murder investigation that sends her to the door of voodoo priestess Dominga Salvador, who has a reputation of using the black arts. Due to her beliefs, Blake turns down an offer from Salvador to be included in a new enterprise and begins a war of morals. Throughout all of this, Blake must also deal with the idea that she is now the human servant of the Master of the City, Jean-Claude. While he is willing to give her some space, Jean-Claude needs Anita to act like his servant in order to deal with the power struggle that is happening in the vampire world.

Hamilton hasn’t stopped throwing Blake into a world of trouble and this time Blake finds out that her limits are not what she thought they were. As we get to know Anita more and more, we begin to see how her views on the world are changing and how she begins to deal with it.

Click here to read an excerpt from The Laughing Corpse.

Also reviewed by:
Love Vampires
Serial Experiment
Bitten by Books

Read Order:
Guilty Pleasures – review
The Laughing Corpse – review
Circus Of The Damned – review
The Lunatic Cafe – review
Bloody Bones – review
The Killing Dance – review
Burnt Offerings – review
Blue Moon – review
Obsidian Butterfly – review
Narcissus In Chains – review
Cerulean Sins – review
Incubus Dreams – review
Micah – review
Danse Macabre – review
The Harlequin – review
Blood Noir – review
Skin Trade – review
Flirt – review
Bullet (June 2010)

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.