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The Laughing Corpse: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
Unavailable
The Laughing Corpse: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
Unavailable
The Laughing Corpse: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

The Laughing Corpse: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel

Written by Laurell K. Hamilton

Narrated by Kimberly Alexis

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

In The Laughing Corpse, a creature from beyond the grave is tearing a swath of murder through St. Louis. And Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried - and some people better off dead.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 20, 2009
ISBN9781101079508
Unavailable
The Laughing Corpse: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
Author

Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton is the author of the New York Times bestselling Anita Blake series and Merry Gentry series. She lives with her family in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Reviews for The Laughing Corpse

Rating: 3.910714365625 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,792 ratings48 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    2nd in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. This one has more to do with zombies than it does vampires really. Anita is called in by the police after it appears that a zombie has gone on the rampage. Anita also has an offer from an eccentric millionaire to raise a 300+ corpse, to do this however it requires a human sacrifice. Throw into the mix an little old abuela who actually is a very powerful voodoo priestess and you have the major plot lines in the book. Anita of course refuses the offer to raise the long dead, which upsets the eccentric. Anita also pisses off the little old grandmother who promptly sends two zombies to killer that evening. Through a number of twists and turns we find out that all the plot lines are intertwined. All leading to a massive climax in an old city cemetery in St. Louis. Does has some slow spots, but once it gets going it's a race to the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    loved the ending.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "The Laughing Corpse" is the second in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, although the focus is much more on her job as an Animator than as the person the vampires call The Executioner. Once again the title is taken the name of a St. Louis hangout for those who like to visit the dark side, in this case a comedy club (helpful hint: zombies do not like to be the butt of jokes). I was surprised to decide at the end of "The Laughing Corpse" that it was not only an improvement over the first book in the series, but one of the best horror stories I have ever read (and I read a lot of horror novels). There is a lot going on her, but Hamilton weaves the various cases, most of which would have sustained an entire novel, into a coherent narrative. I really was surprised when everything came together in the end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Still a really good read, 2nd time for me. Love the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed the first Anita Blake book, so I was happy to get the second one on audio from the library. It was good to learn a bit more about the necromancer/vampire slayer/police consultant. This book had more of an eeeewwwwww factor for me than did the first book, but I guess that's zombies for you. Vampires are just less icky than zombies. ;) I thought it was interesting that Anita has specified that she wants to be cremated when she dies so can be neither raised from the dead nor turned into a vampire. I wonder if I can specify that in my living will? You know, just in case.

    Anyway, I didn't like this book as much I did the first, but I think it was more because it was gross. It certainly kept me engrossed; I looked forward to listening to it every time I had a chance to do so. I think I have the third book sitting on my computer, so I'll be starting that soon.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    THE LAUGHING CORPSE is the second novel in the Anita Blake series. The action is nonstop. The humor is sharp as a wooden stake. And Anita is the girl of my dreams.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although the "gore score" was a little higher than I'm usually comfortable with, I did really enjoy the audiobook version of this book. It took me through a day of housecleaning (which is one of the reasons I finished it so quickly). I liked Anita Blake's character, although she's occasionally a bit *too* sassy. However, she's a strong and charismatic heroine and one with interesting abilities, and just flawed enough to be human. The plot is fast-paced and engrossing, with lots of thrills, chills, and action, and the book is populated with many interesting characters. Recommended for anyone who likes urban fantasy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought this was a really good book. Its been a while since I read the first book but Ms. Hamilton made it very easy to jump back into the Anita Blake storyline. In this book there are very gruesome (and yes the detail in the book described the killings very very clearly) murders happening and Anita thinks it has to do with the supernatural... so she investigates which leads to a voodoo priestess on her bad side as well as a very wealthy man who wants her to revive a very old corpse. No surprises ... I figured out who was behind it all and the ending was good.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This review first appeared on A Weebish Book Blog.THE LAUGHING CORPSE by Laurell K. Hamilton is the second novel in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. It takes place a month after the events in GUILTY PLEASURES and is a delightful blend of supernatural horror with hard-boiled detective fiction.In THE LAUGHING CORPSE, Anita Blake is offered a cool million to raise an almost 300-year-old zombie. Knowing she can’t raise a zombie that old without a human sacrifice, she’s quick to refuse the wealthy yet creepy gentlemen and she soon discovers he won’t take no for an answer.While fending off Gaynor and his merry crew of thugs, Anita is called in to help Dolph and Zerbrowski—lead detectives of the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team (RPIT) and some of Blake’s closest police pals—solve a potentially zombie related crime. The investigation soon leads Anita to a powerful evil voodoo priestess that shares a surprising history with Anita’s old mentor and a fascination with Blake and her necromancy.Our badass vampire executioner has a lot on her plate in THE LAUGHING CORPSE. She’s badgered by a stubborn millionaire, caught the attention of the evil Dominga Salvador, and must quickly stop the preternatural monster responsible for the violent deaths ripping throught the St. Louis community. All the while, Anita still cannot come to grips with her new position as human servant to Jean-Claude, the new Vampire Master of the City, or her attraction to the seductive yet suspicious vampire.THE LAUGHING CORPSE is a spooky, blood-soaked mystery. It is by no means my favorite Anita Blake book, but it makes a fun, spine-chilling addition to the series and gives us the first suspenseful adventure where Anita’s vampire executioner duties and her necromancy powers collide.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anita Blake is, or wants to be, deeply human. And as such, she is obsessively concerned with the protection of humans from the things that go bump in the night. To protect others, she is willing to put her very life on the line, but not her very soul, not unless that is the only way to protect others. As such, she can be irritating, infuriating, and a just plain pain-in-the-ass to the people (or creatures) who want to protect her.

    The question of humanity in the first three books that I have read (I am on a mission to read every single Anita book, they are that good) is fascinating. Mostly in the question "What IS Humanity"? Is it only those persons whose DNA is 'pure' who are "human"? What defines "Humanity"? Humans are, first and foremost, basically animals. Homo Sapiens, a species of bipedal primates, characterized by a brain capacity averaging 1400 cc (85 cubic in.) and by dependence upon language and the creation and utilization of complex tools. OK. Werewolves can be defined in the same manner, as can vampires. Yes, vampires came back from the dead, but they were previously humans - and in this world, werewolves can be defined as a standard issue homo sapiens who has been affected by a disease, much as Proteus syndrome, or any other disease which causes genetic differential within the standard issue.

    And what IS Anita Blake, herself? Patently something very different than a 'standard' human, as indicated by the obsessive need of Jean Claude to have her by his side, as well as that of the two newest master's in this work to capture and use her for their own ends. She is definitely different - and it will be interesting to see how Hamilton explores and expands that difference in her series.

    Jean Claude's character is fascinating as well in the questions he puts forth regarding the definition of "humanity". ARE vampires all that different from humans? CAN vampires really love, or does his obsession for Anita equate merely to his plans for the city, and the abilities of Anita that will give him the power he craves? The thing is, I WANT to believe in Jean Claude, he is that sort of character. I want him to be good at his centre, to really care about Anita, about his people, and about what is right. Even though, at the same time, I see him as a monster, not for the fact that he is a vampire, but because he is calculating enough that he can see using Anita, and apparently uncaringly using the wolves, such as Anita's reporter friend, in such as way as to strike fear into their hearts and minds. What _does_ he get up to when Anita is not watching? It is creepy to think about it . . . (And if Richard is such a great guy, what is he doing, naked in bed, in a room containing both vampires and werewolves? Voyeurism? Group sex anyone? Creepy. And Anita never says a word about it. Kind of a misstep there, Ms. Hamilton? I can't see the somewhat prudish Anita letting that one slip by that easily.)

    Yes, Jean Claude is very much a monster - but what Wall Street bully isn't also a monster? Humans can be monsters in ways that the most vicious of four-legged monsters would never be able to fathom. Murder and serial killing for pleasure, child rape, religious war, the list of human atrocities goes on and on. So . . . who ARE the monsters? Really?

    It will be interesting to see How Hamilton continues to develop the characters. While some people decry the violence of the books, and would rarely turn the reviews of her books into studies of the human psyche as I have a tendency to, I applaud Ms. Hamilton on her unblinking view of the "reality" of this amazing world she has built, and cannot but draw correlations between this world, and ours. I see very many lost sleep hours as I journey further and further into Anita's world.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Okay, though I'm not overly fond of Anita Blake as a character - waaaaay too full of herself for my tastes...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anita Blake is, or wants to be, deeply human. And as such, she is obsessively concerned with the protection of humans from the things that go bump in the night. To protect others, she is willing to put her very life on the line, but not her very soul, not unless that is the only way to protect others. As such, she can be irritating, infuriating, and a just plain pain-in-the-ass to the people (or creatures) who want to protect her.

    The question of humanity in the first three books that I have read (I am on a mission to read every single Anita book, they are that good) is fascinating. Mostly in the question "What IS Humanity"? Is it only those persons whose DNA is 'pure' who are "human"? What defines "Humanity"? Humans are, first and foremost, basically animals. Homo Sapiens, a species of bipedal primates, characterized by a brain capacity averaging 1400 cc (85 cubic in.) and by dependence upon language and the creation and utilization of complex tools. OK. Werewolves can be defined in the same manner, as can vampires. Yes, vampires came back from the dead, but they were previously humans - and in this world, werewolves can be defined as a standard issue homo sapiens who has been affected by a disease, much as Proteus syndrome, or any other disease which causes genetic differential within the standard issue.

    And what IS Anita Blake, herself? Patently something very different than a 'standard' human, as indicated by the obsessive need of Jean Claude to have her by his side, as well as that of the two newest master's in this work to capture and use her for their own ends. She is definitely different - and it will be interesting to see how Hamilton explores and expands that difference in her series.

    Jean Claude's character is fascinating as well in the questions he puts forth regarding the definition of "humanity". ARE vampires all that different from humans? CAN vampires really love, or does his obsession for Anita equate merely to his plans for the city, and the abilities of Anita that will give him the power he craves? The thing is, I WANT to believe in Jean Claude, he is that sort of character. I want him to be good at his centre, to really care about Anita, about his people, and about what is right. Even though, at the same time, I see him as a monster, not for the fact that he is a vampire, but because he is calculating enough that he can see using Anita, and apparently uncaringly using the wolves, such as Anita's reporter friend, in such as way as to strike fear into their hearts and minds. What _does_ he get up to when Anita is not watching? It is creepy to think about it . . . (And if Richard is such a great guy, what is he doing, naked in bed, in a room containing both vampires and werewolves? Voyeurism? Group sex anyone? Creepy. And Anita never says a word about it. Kind of a misstep there, Ms. Hamilton? I can't see the somewhat prudish Anita letting that one slip by that easily.)

    Yes, Jean Claude is very much a monster - but what Wall Street bully isn't also a monster? Humans can be monsters in ways that the most vicious of four-legged monsters would never be able to fathom. Murder and serial killing for pleasure, child rape, religious war, the list of human atrocities goes on and on. So . . . who ARE the monsters? Really?

    It will be interesting to see How Hamilton continues to develop the characters. While some people decry the violence of the books, and would rarely turn the reviews of her books into studies of the human psyche as I have a tendency to, I applaud Ms. Hamilton on her unblinking view of the "reality" of this amazing world she has built, and cannot but draw correlations between this world, and ours. I see very many lost sleep hours as I journey further and further into Anita's world.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this book. Anita rocks! I listened to this book on audiobook and it was fast paced and entertaining. the reader was really good so i hope she reads for all the books in this series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I am listening to this series on audio while I am getting projects around the house done. It keeps me engaged and easy to listen to.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    UGH! Zombies are just creepy. No matter what the plot, the genre... I'm just never going to be happy to see a zombie. Or a voodoo priestess will ill intent.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This one was a little much. I love Anita's world and her abilities but I'm not super into zombie and zombie parts flying around. The woman in the beginning, the voodoo witch, was super scary. Ick. Overall not a bad book. I'm obviously trying to re-read the series so I will keep going.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The second book in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, the Vampire Hunter, series was as good as the first, although the subject matter was a little less to my liking. I am not really impressed with zombies and this book was full of them. Anita Blake, the main character, continues to be strong, quick with witty comebacks and tough. She also has an innocent side, which she keeps to herself (and the readers). In this book, Anita is on the trail of a killer zombie and, in the meantime, is fighting off a voodoo witch and a filthy rich man in a wheelchair who wants her to make human sacrifices to raise the dead. The Master of the City also wants Anita but for very different reasons.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Initial impression: the book is a little better than the first one. Maybe it’s the different plot? Maybe it’s just the ending that made it all better. There were to big things I really didn’t like about the book. First Hamilton uses the same exact sentences to describe the bystanders and tertiary characters as she used to introduce them in her first book. I don’t mind reminders, but to use the same words in the same order over and over got on my nerves. And secondly, Anita says ‘shit’ way too much. Now I did listen to this book on audio so maybe if I’d read it with my eyes, it wouldn’t have bothered me as much but the way the narrator said it, dragging the sounds out in a drawl got tiring. Yes, things aren’t looking great but there are dozens of other words she could use. It makes the book seem kind of repetitive. So, really it’s the writing I don’t like. I wasn’t ecstatic about the plot either until the end. For some reason I liked the end. Some reviewers say they thought the gore and violence in this book was a turn off. I’ll admit I don’t have much of a gore-radar anymore with the job I do, so I can’t say for sure how bad it really is for the general public, but I think for stories of this kind you have to expect so of that. I do recommend that no one under 16 should be reading this series. Anyways, like the first book, it was an okay book to listen to while driving; just nothing I’d reread later on. I will probably move on to the next book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    “The Laughing Corpse” is a well-done follow-up for “Guilty Pleasures”. Hamilton has created a gruesome, action-filled series with a strong independent female heroine.

    This second novel, introduced us to the world of voodoo and the dangers of powerful magic. Anita Blake must confront a voodoo priestess while coming to terms with a change of relationship with the new master vampire of the city.

    Hamilton’s writing is as descriptive as ever with antidotes of sarcasm mixed in. The details of the murders that she must help solve and of the creatures is incredible and provide a level of realism to a world of pure fiction. The short chapters make for easy reading and it is a book that quickly becomes absorbing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anita is smack dab in the middle of mayhem and murder with a killer zombie on the loose and the local voodoo priestess envious of her skills. I like the characters and interaction in this series - though I wish the language were toned down a little.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In this second installment of the adventures of Anita Blake, she spends much of her time not wanting to know things. To be fair, there's a child-killing zombie on the loose, she's gotten on the bad side of a powerful voodoo priestess, and the master vampire of the city insists that she be his human servant. So there's a lot on her plate. Luckily, she's always ready with a clever comment or snide remark. The ending introduces some darker themes, leading me to believe perhaps the series takes a turn for the serious after this, but this particular story was still a lot of fun. Brutally violent at times, but still a fun bit of horror-comedy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I liked this book way more then the first one in the series. It seems to make more sense and it wasn't as confusing at the first one. It felt like in the first book there was no intro to the character or anything. This second book explained things more clearly and the story was easier to follow. It is almost like the first book should have been a prequel.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This, more than any other in the series, is "the zombie novel." Anita Blake actually makes her living as an "animator," raising zombies for a last conversation where you can learn, oh, where they put the will, or at least get some closure. Vampires are only a side dish here, and much of this one is gruesome, gory, and just plain disgusting. So what it says about me that I loved it, I don't know. In fact, it really was in this novel, not the first Guilty Pleasures that I found Anita Blake addictive. So addictive, as it turned out, it took several books to break the habit after they dropped into the abyss in the tenth book. In retrospect, having read 17 and a half books in the series (I dropped Flirt mid-read) I can see some of the seeds of the ultimate deterioration of the series. This book featured Manny Rodriguez, her mentor who was briefly mentioned in the first book. Manny is obviously important to her, and the ending suggests that what happens should have real consequences--but then we never hear from (or from what I can recall about) Manny again. It's a sign of things to come as Hamilton drops important plot threads, and eventually drops any relationship but the sexual. But this was vintage Anita Blake, back from when I could recommend them as a perfect Halloween read and guilty pleasure.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Though I'm not passionate about the series, nor on-board with all the decisions Hamilton made, I'm still interested. I like that there are a lot of grey areas with her characters. I think I'd enjoy these more if everything didn't wrap up so neatly at the end.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The first book in the series was okay, so I thought I'd give this one a go. I was mostly intrigued by the potential for a relationship between Anita and Jean Claude. We barely got to see Jean Claude- what we did see was gore. Anita finds lots of blood, kills lots of people and a few zombies. I don't care about zombies, only vampires, and I'm not interesting in watching Anita prove that she's tougher than everyone else ever to have existed. I guess I won't be reading any more of this series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book! It's book #2 in the Anita Blake series and we learn more about her character and abilities. Fast pace and lots of action made it hard for me to put the book down because I always wanted to know what was coming! I would definitely recommend this and am looking forward to #3!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Anita Blake returns to fight zombies, voodoo queens, and the occasional vampire! Fun read!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The second installment to the Anita Blake series, The Laughing Corpse, is a riveting tale of a female Animator and Vampire executioner Anita Blake. In this book, she is being offered a job by a wealthy millionaire to raise a 300 year old zombie but raising this type of zombie need a human sacrifice which Anita doesn't do however big the reward may be.In the middle of that, Dolph called Anita to help with an investigation of a murdered family. Gruesome crimescreen but hope of a survivor arises. Anita investigates and comes up with two people who are powerful enough to do something like this. One is the recent deseaced, Peter Burke, and Dominga Salvador who is a vaundun priestess. Manny arranged a meeting for Anita to interview Dominga who eventually told Anita was the old lover of her former mentor Manny. During the interview Dominga proposed that Anita be her partner in traping zombie souls into the body without decomposing making it easier for torture but knowing Anita, she refused resulting with zombie attacking her in her own apartment which pisses her off!Further investigation Anita and John found a gris-gris that they suspected belonged to Dominga so together with the police they went to the priestess house and confronted her. With a confession of a grandson, Dominga is arrested for the zombie that did the murders.On another note, when Anita got home she was then kidnapped by Gaynors bodyguards together with his girlfriend wheelchair Wanda. Gaynor together with Dominga dictated Anita to do the ritual but still Anita refuses so Dominga did a spell that can control Anita. When Anita told Dominga the information that Gaynor didn't inform her - the dead ancestor is a fellow animator - Dominga was mad but still continued with the plan. With a command to do a human sacrifice, Anita killed Gaynor's bodyguard instead of Wheelchair Wanda. With Anita's power including two human sacrifice, Anita was able to control every dead within her range including Jean Claude who remained the distance until every thing stopped.Anita still continued to refused Jean claude and the story still continues to book 3 - Circus of The DamnedAll in all I though this book was a great improvement with the first book. The Anita Blake series are a great read to every vampire, zombie, supernatural, creepy gruesome reader out there. Hamilton writes in a very detailed many, giving up vivid pictures that help our imagination to think of the actual story and how it goes. It can be a slow read but every turn of the page is worth it, especially when you enjoy these kind of novels. A must to every book series collector and a guaranteed re-read everytime.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In which a billionaire makes demands, the premier necromancer in New Orleans - not Anita (yet) - makes some not-so-bright decisions, and Anita discovers yet another reason for cremation after death. Lots of blood, zombie guts and violence.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    this was not your normal paranormal romance type book, it was dark and gritty and way to addictive. I love this series now and yes it has some steamy moments and as the series goes on it gets more so but it was great I recommend this series it was fun to read and I look for all her other books now.