Kiss the Dead
Kiss the Dead is a 2012 erotic thriller by American writer Laurell K. Hamilton. The book was published on June 5, 2012 by Berkley Hardcover and is the twenty first book in the series. Plot. "Kiss the Dead" centers on U.S. Marshal Anita Blake as she attempts to sort through her ever increasingly complicated personal life while dealing with a vampire that is breaking both vampire and human laws by turning underage teens and children into the undead. Meanwhile Anita also has to deal with the fragile ego of the ancient vampire , whose jealous behavior threatens the  physical and emotional well-being of all around him. Reception. Critical reception to "Kiss the Dead" has been mixed to positive, with "Publishers Weekly "writing that there's "nothing here that Hamilton hasn’t done already, but there’s enough to sustain readers until Anita’s next escapade." The" St. Louis Post-Dispatch "praised the book, citing the "heart-stopping climax" as a highlight. News.com.au called "Kiss the Dead" the "literary version of comfort food" and "a fun ride for the most part". ScienceFiction.com stated that the novel was "the best offering in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series I ’ve seen in a while" but that the repetition of phrases and character descriptions "could have been better". Romantic Times gave "Kiss the Dead" two stars, writing that the book felt "unbalanced and unfocused".