The Laughing Corpse is the 2nd book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I first read this book about 15 years ago, but I quit reading the series around books #4 or #5. I’ve decided to start over with the series. Just for fun. To see if I’ve changed my mind.
Vampire hunter and zombie animator Anita Blake spends her nights raising the dead. When families are being found brutally murdered and torn apart in their homes, Anita suspects a very old and very powerful zombie is to blame.
Anita knows that only someone with great power can raise such a zombie, and that human sacrifice is the only way a zombie of that magnitude can be raised in the first place. With the help of her fellow animators and Jean-Claude, the city’s master vampire, Anita embarks on a hunt for a centuries-old killer zombie, and for the person responsible for raising it.
So far, I’m enjoying this Anita Blake series. With the exception of a few tacky 1990s fashion faux-pas, The Laughing Corpse borders on timeless. There are no pagers, cell phones, or Internet in this one.
The Laughing Corpse has a dark, gritty tone. Anita is tough, quick-witted, and just plain bad-ass. She’s like Stephanie Plum on steroids—all the quirky mishaps plus a lot of gore, violence, and horror.
I like how Jean-Claude is thrown back into the story just when I forgot all about him. The chemistry and sparks that fly between Anita and Jean-Claude are building into a powerful crescendo, so I’m excited to see where their relationship goes in the upcoming books.
From a mystery standpoint, good luck trying to piece everything together.
Last Updated on November 25, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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