Affliction (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
Anita Blake, vampire hunter, is back in this exciting and sexy installment of the bestselling paranormal series. Facing zombies is part of Blake's job description as a necromancer, but rarely does she deal with the flesh-eating kind made popular by Hollywood movies. All that changes when Blake accompanies her lover, Micah, to his father's potential deathbed in Colorado; there she faces a kind of zombie she's never seen before: they're fast, cunning, contagious, and hungry for humans. While it occasionally gets bogged down by dialogue, overall Hamilton's latest is a meticulously plotted story featuring fantastically creepy action mixed with flirtatious sex scenes, making it the perfectly addictive read. Her take on zombies is invigorating—even for the purest of horror fans—it's no wonder readers keep coming back for more.  . Hamilton also manages to embed contemporary issues in with the fast-pace action,; addressing sexism, homophobia, religious fundamentalism, and racism from fresh and unusual perspectives. (July)