Review: Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch by Laurell K. Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The writer I fell in love with is back! And the Executioner is BACK. Ms. Hamilton adds heat to the summer with a great new addition in her Anita Blake Series. For those who loved Obsidian Butterfly, Sucker Punch is closer to that plot. As in, the focus is around Anita's job and her personal life enhances the story.

For someone who lives in Michigan and has been to the UP, reading about Anita going around my "neighborhood" helped me connect even more with the book. In addition to the appealling location, I enjoy the sleuthing in her work as a Marshall. I love seeing Edward show up and disturbing Olaf flirting with Anita. I am not sure how Olaf and Anita will end up, but I'm ready to ride that crazy train into a major wreak with who knows how high a body count.

Anita as a character is maturing nicely. She understands her knee jerk reactions are detrimental to her posse. Now, her responses to aggravating situations is surprisingly calm and balanced. I also like how she had less of a chip on her shoulder and is able to focus more on the homicide scene instead of proving she has a bigger dick than the male LEO she meets.

The story itself is rather depressing. Ms. Hamilton does a great job of placing plausible red herrings through the first half of the book. Around the second part, I start having doubts and question the information provided. The ending is definitely a sucker punch. For those who expect a happily ever after, today is not that day. I'm still pleasantly surprised and happy about the bittersweet ending. It is more realistic to life. There are no easy answers and sometimes, all the options are terrible ones. The choice becomes, what can you live with?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. This book is recommended to old school Anita Blake lovers who enjoy the thrill of the hunt and solving mysteries.

*provided by NetGalley