The worst yet...
I enjoyed the earlier Anita Blake books... LKH's heroine was different and for once - a strong female lead. She gradually went from being a prude to being a prude that was "oh-so-guilty" over having sex to a pure nymphomaniac. I didn't much like Anita when LKH made her so powerful - in fact, indestructible - that she was no longer realistic/sympathetic as a character. I think this was just prior to the horrible "Incubus Dreams" which was like a metaphysical train wreck. Reading that novel made my head spin... there was NO plot. At least I made it through Blood Noir without wanting to bang my head against the wall. This series has gone 'round the bend. I recommened Tanya Huff's Victoria Nelson series. Huff remained true to her characters and ended the series when the story played out... she let them leave on a good note. LKH needs to end the AB series before she completely destroys every character... Jean-Claude and Asher have lost their bite and Richard is a wet dog... :-(

Shame on you publishers. Shame.
Oh... my... God...

Not a very helpful review I know, but that's all I can think to say. This book was so bad, pointless and poorly written, I am struck dumb by the idea that it was actually written - oh my god - and published too!

Pity I can't give this a negative 3...sigh

My how far we've fallen...
Okay, the first thing I want to say is that there is way too much sex in this book. A few sex scenes here and there are not bad, after all -- I'm no prude. However, it's a completely different matter when the first sex scene is three pages into the novel and she proceeds to have a sex scene roughly about every 25 pages. In a novel this size, that's just too much. Also, Mrs. Hamilton seems to have spent the most of their time on the plot whatsoever. I mean, come on -- Keith Summerland -- I wonder how much thought she put it to that.

There are a few bright spots. But let me stress that -- a few. For instance, we did not have to put up with Mika whining through most of this movel. Oh, and how I wish Anita would just kill Richard, and be done with it. Because that's the only way I see that Mrs. Hamilton can get rid of him at this point.

Other than that, the novel was great. I suppose if you accept that Mrs. Hamilton is going into a downward slide when it comes to writing the series (which is what I did about halfway through the book) and you don't have this book to the earlier books in the series, then you can enjoy it. I for one, am getting sorely upset with Mrs. Hamilton. I will however hope for the best. Maybe the mother of darkness will take over Anita's consciousness and go on a killing spree in to her harem of men. Oh well, one can only hope. :-)

How can such a great series go so bad?
The Anita Blake series is one of my favorites. At least the first ten books or so. After this one, I officially give up. What happened to the spook squad? Isn't she supposed to be working with the police? But all of those characters just disappeared without an explanation several books ago, so that Anita could spend 4oo or 500 pages having sex with hot guys. Usually several of them at once. I get that considering what a prude she was in the first book, that some might actually consider this character development. I think I'm done with the series.

Another Great Book About Anita Blake!
Blood Noir was one of my favorite books in the Anita Blake series. First of all the fact that you get to see more from Jason, who I have thought was one of the most lovable werewolves. Laurell K. Hamilton has a way of mixing romance with action and adventure in a way that doesn't seem completely pornographic. The story was well written and kept my interest from the second I picked the book up till I read the last word.

I've read a lot of mixed reviews about this book and I can't seem to help but wonder why. I read quite a few bad reviews right here on this site before I read the book and thought they just might be right. Although, when I started reading the book I knew they were wrong. The things they seem to find wrong with the book I couldn't figure out how exactly they came to those conclusions, it was as if we were reading completely different books.

One of the main reasons people didn't seem to like it is because it's so much different from how the stories were when she first started the series. All I have to say to that is of course it's going to be different. If she kept the stories the same book after book there wouldn't be 16 fabulous Anita Blake stories that seem to be just as well received.

In the humble opinion of an avid book reader, and lover, Blood Noir by Laurell K Hamilton is a must read for all fans. By that I mean fans of: Laurell K Hamilton, Anita Blake, Vampires, the Supernatural, or just books in general.