Serpentine

June 18, 2018
Hamilton’s middling 26th Anita Blake paranormal (after Crimson Death) brings friends and frenemies together for a destination wedding in New Mexico. After seven years, Anita’s fellow U.S. Marshal Edward is headed to the altar with Donna—unless Donna’s insecurities or bridesmaid Dixie’s vicious gossip derail their big day. Anita and her partner Micah promise to set work aside and focus on each other and their partner Nathaniel, but they fall back into old habits and hurt Nathaniel’s feelings. When female guests go missing from the wedding hotel, this getaway turns into a vampire hunter reunion. Anita, Edward, and their colleagues Bernardo and Olaf must stop the monster preying on women before a corrupt cop magically coerces Nathaniel into taking the blame. Hamilton is slowly shifting the focus away from Anita’s personal relationships and sexcapades and back toward mystery and action, but that shift won’t move fast enough to satisfy many longtime fans of the series, and it leaves this installment feeling disjointed. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House.

Narrator Kimberly Alexis injects the right amount of sarcasm into Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. She projects humor and drama as she portrays Detective Blake, a polyamorous, hardworking U.S. marshal. In this installment, Blake is trying to solve the mystery of disappearing women while on her vacation with her lovers. Alexis's tone is the driving energy. Her voice is racy at times and filled with emotion, although her delivery also reflects moments when Blake attempts to remain unemotional as a marshal. The internal dialogues she narrates are filled with attitude and compassion as she displays the internal struggles of the character. Blake is tough but not without phobias, traits that Alexis conveys skillfully. T.E.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine