Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 10)
Bestseller Hamilton's Anita Blake, police consultant,  executioner, necromancer, private eye and wereleopard protector,  returns in her amorous 10th adventure, driven more by  conflicting desires for the lovers she neglected in her last  outing, Obsidian Butterfly (2000), than by the urge to solve any  mystery. Once again, in a world where vampires and werecreatures  are protected by law, Blake attempts to resolve her libido's  constant crisis. Plunged into the netherworld of a leather D/S  (dominant/submissive) bar, Narcissus in Chains, by the abduction  of one of her inherited wereleopards, Blake finds herself deep  into shapeshifter politics and a were creature power struggle  that is all a metaphor for her own inner struggle. Whom should  she choose werewolf Richard or vampire Jean-Claude? Or should  she take a new lover? Who cares? Blake is eventually infected by  the "ardeur" from the vampire clan and tinged with shapeshifting  abilities from the were clan. As she becomes more like the  fantastic creatures she protects or kills, she, alas, doesn't  get any more interesting as a character. Her obsessions with  lust serve mainly to overwhelm a rickety plot. Blake needs to  put her clothes back on and get back to work. Too much flesh and  not enough plot leads to the old but so true saying, "Less is  more." (Oct. 9) Forecast: With a 15-city author tour and 100,000 first printing,  this should be as successful saleswise as previous books in the  series.Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.