Sucker Punch by Laurell K. Hamilton Series: Anita Blake #27
Published by Berkley on August 4, 2020
Genres: Urban fantasy
Pages: 488
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads
Also by this author: Rafael, A Terrible Fall of Angels, Smolder
A brutal murder, a suspect in jail, and an execution planned, but what if the wrong person is about to be killed?⠀
This! Sucker Punch, the latest Anita Blake book returns to form when the series was more about solving crimes and less about relationship complications.
Sucker Punch focuses on Anita investigating a crime and the flaws inherent in the preternatural warrant system. While relationship discussions occur, they aren’t the main focus of the book which is a welcome relief from previous books in the series that were endless rounds of group sex and BDSM play.
A murder’s been committed, the local police have arrested the only local were and a warrant’s been issued for his execution. But the marshal with the warrant doesn’t believe that the jailed were is guilty. With time counting down to the execution, the marshal asks Anita to assist with the investigation.
This was small town politics, classism, politics and what greed does to people wrapped around a murder. We get to see badass Anita handle things with her usual take no prisoners approach. What’s nice to see is that LKH shows how therapy is helping Anita cope wit her issues. Her go to solution isn’t to have a “whose gun is bigger?” contest with other men on the investigation as it has been in the past.
Even creepy Olaf/Otto has been allowed to grow into something other than a psychopath.
My thoughts
I enjoyed reading a mystery that didn’t require Anita to use sex to solve it. While Anita and others at the investigation mentioned her sweeties, Jean Claude, Nathaniel and Micah remained back in St. Louis. So no recreational boinking occurred either. Just some serious smooching.
If you’ve taken a break from the series, pick up Sucker Punch for a return to the good old days. If you’re an urban fantasy fan but you’ve never tried the series, start at the beginning with Guilty Pleasures and enjoy the ride.
This book was a reminder about why I fell in love with the series.
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Your thoughts
Do you read thr Anita Blake books? What keeps you coming back to a series?
For me, it’s emotional investment in the characters. I have to care about them and I need to be curious about what happens next.
Other books
Read Guilty Pleasures to see where Anita’s series started and how she got to the events in Sucker Punch.
For urban fantasy series about other kickass women, try the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs. Here’s my review of the latest, Smoke Bitten.
Or the Kate McDaniels series by Ilona Andrews.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the DRC.
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