Anita accompanies Jason home to visit his dying dad. She's going to pretend to be more than an occasional lover to try and prevent the homophobic dad thinking Jason is gay.

There's fun and games with Jason, the founder of the town ran a cult and was liberal with his love; LOTS of people look like Jason, some of them practically identical.

This leads to media fun and games and supernatural politics - the Noir part of the title should tell you who.

Like so many of these stories it's a romp. It's fast, there's a fair bit of soul searching, a bit of supernatural shit, some sex, some violence. It would be a lousy place to start reading the series, but if you've stuck with the series this long it's going to tick all the same old boxes and off you go. ( )

More Anita. More sex. More people trying to kill Anita, more of Anita killing other people. More pouting and stupidity from Richard. A Jean Claude who is nearing maudlin. Jason begging (again). Nathaniel wanting rougher sex (again). Men and women both bespelled by Anita's cuteness and charm (again...and, yet, what?).

Basically, for followers of the series, you'll read it, because even if someone told you it was made up of only three 20-chapter sex scenes, you'd still read it. But please, do yourself a favor and borrow it from the library. At least that way you can save your money, even as you give up your common sense. ( )

We leave the city and vampires behind and Anita spends some quality time with her kitten, Jason. Good story and lots of twists that will lead to more complications in her life in future.

If you liked the first 5 books of the Anita Blake series, thought the next 5 were going downhill somewhat & thought the next 5 descended into romance & page counts, then you feel about the series as I do. If you thought the writing got poorer in the past few, we also agree. If you felt ripped off by "Micah", we still agree. In that case, don't bother to read this book. Seriously, keep the few good memories you have.I'm afraid that Hamilton has had it as a writer. This was the worst book I've read in the past couple of years. Certainly the worst one I finished. Why did I? Because I've read the all the previous ones & I skimmed a LOT with the forlorn hope that things would get better. Also, the book was given to me.The plot was poor & half the book took place in one hotel room. Bring lots of cheese, because all the characters do is whine about & to each other about their lives, feelings, relationships & powers. The only displays of the last are filled with remorse, anger & desire - but the last isn't even very well done. It's not even good soft porn. Basically, it's a very negative play of how to have bad, supernatural relationships & spend hundreds of pages whining about it. There is no suspense. Every possible suspense element is obvious & hackneyed. They're usually immediately revealed. One is saved for the very end, but it is so obvious that I knew it from the start & kept hoping for a twist. Didn't get it though. The book was nothing, if not predictable. I think Hamilton is just tired.Finally, I got to the last chapter which could have been a good book - should have been the book, with all the wasted pages beforehand edited down to a couple of chapters - at most. In a few terse paragraphs, all the action that should have been in the book is summarized in a very passionless voice. "This happened, that happened, end of story." Yeah, it's the end of the Anita Blake story for me. It's a shame. I loved the first books but I can't bear to read another. ( )

I finished this book on Sunday. It took me a little over a week to finish; for most of the book, I had to force myself to read it. I really don't understand why there would be a pair of scissors on the cover. Oh wait - now I remember, but the pair of scissors used was pretty small, not like the huge pair on the cover.

Some people might like this book. Except for 24 pages of suspense, unfortunately toward the end of the book, I really didn't like it much. If you like books about relationships, with lots and lots of dialogue regarding relationships and childhood memories, then you might like this book. If you like books with lots of dialogue, endless talking before, during and after the sex scenes, then you might enjoy this book. If you like most of your books to be the same, with similar arguements, disagreements, sex scenes, pointless episodes of Anita being challenged by macho men just because she's a girl, and the knowledge that no-0ne important to the main character is going to die, then this is the book for you.

Anita, Nathaniel and Jason start out the book with 4 chapters discussing, negotiating sex, and having sex. Then Jason and Nathaniel talk Anita into accompanying Jason to visit his dying father, who happens to be an angry homophobic who believes Jason is gay. Of course the trip goes wrong, Jason who looks like someone famous (along with half of the town), is of course mistaken for this famous person and they are deluged with the press and bodyguards of the famous.

There is trouble with visiting shapeshifters and Marmee Noir. There is trouble - again, who would have guessed? - with Richard. Anita suddenly is able to swallow Richard's rage. There is endless talking and angst, again. Then suddenly......

There is FINALLY some excitement when Anita and Jason are kidnapped. Anita has to get herself free, and save Jason. She gets to kill some vampires. This is within 24 pages, toward the end. These 24 pages are worth reading. These 24 pages prove that if LKH wanted to, she could still write a suspenseful, compelling book. I wish she wanted to a little more. I became nostalgic for earlier Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books (rather than the more recent Anita Blake, Vampire Humper books). I feel like she is teasing her readers with this 24 pages. If it were only the added sex in the books, I think I could handle it, (even though it's been a little boring). What kills it for me is the ENDLESS TALKing. Before the sex, interrupting the sex, after the sex; before the danger, during the danger, after the danger; before the meetings (of anyone), during the meetings, after the meetings....you get the idea, right? Less angst, discussions and pointless confrontations, and I would have enjoyed the book more.

Here's hoping her next book (Skin Trade) has less angst, pointless arguements, and stupid confrontations. Here's hoping there will be more of Anita using her Necromancer skills, more suspense, more scary. But based on the current average reviews by readers, I am going to wait for the paperback of Skin Trade. ( )