Hit List

Publisher's Summary

A serial killer is hunting the Pacific Northwest, murdering victims in a gruesome and spectacular way. The local police suspect "monsters" are involved, and have called in Anita Blake and Edward, U.S. Marshals who really know their monsters, to catch the killer.

Love in vein: listen to more tales of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter.

©2011 Laurell K. Hamilton (P)2011 Penguin Audiobooks

Back to basics

Anita returns with more plot and less sex. This one is a good read and features Edward significantly.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

LKH phoned it in

I love the entire series and was so let down by this short and underwritten book. The book could have been great but LKH did not care. I will say that because I have read and listened to this series multiple times and know she is a much better writer than this book displayed. It was word for word repetitive of past books, leaving me to irritated to have to listen to the exact same thing I paid for in a previous book. The storyline, what was there, was okay to a huge let down. The majority of this book felt like filler, which I don't mind if the plot eventually pays off and the book is longer than 300 pages. This did not. A huge villian in the past three books was met and defeated in a few paragraphs at the end, shame on LKH and the editors.

18 of 21 people found this review helpful

Not as good as the hype

In this installment, Anita Blake is on the job. She and Edward are trying to solve a serial killer case. But don’t get excited. Hit List is not a whodunit. In fact, this book starts with the case already solved and focuses more on assassinating the culprit and feeding the ardeur. Anita Blake books consistently highlight sexism in her field. While this is an important issue, she still reacts to it like a novice with a lack of progression in any of her arguments or efforts to change her environment. Good god, girl! Learn the lessons of our foremothers. Organize a strong argument with numerous and coherent axioms. Then, implement a strategy for cultural metamorphosis or get over it. Obviously, there are a lot of small-minded people out there. Move on and enjoy who you are, what you are, and what you do. Unfortunately over the years, many of Hamilton’s characters have become static, and I just get the feeling that she is bored of writing Anita Blake stories. You may wonder why I even listen to these books? It is a really valid question. Here is my answer. I still listen to these books because the first books in this series are wonderful and showcase Hamilton’s talents in storytelling and hot love or hot like or hot hi there. I keep hoping that Hamilton will get back to writing tight and interesting plots along with the polyamorous interactions.

27 of 32 people found this review helpful

Waste of a Credit

A long time LKH fan, I was just as disappointed w/ this story as I was Bullet. Nothing happened. None of our favorite characters were present, other than Anita and Edward. I know LKH has been taking a lot of flak lately about the graphic sex scenes, and those were definitely dialed back. (Only one scene) Also, the Marmee Noir situation, that has been a central part of many books, was over and done w/ in just a few pages. And finally, the books seem to be shrinking more and more every year. She went from epic length tomes in her early years, to 300 page novels the past 3 books. Very disappointed.

30 of 36 people found this review helpful

eh...

I was impressed with the whole series up to this one, needed other more important characters than just the goon squad. Also, could've used MUCH more dealing with Marmee Noir instead of its disappointing climax. What happened to all the other characters she supposedly NEEDED to have around her?

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Lose the music

Once again they added music sound affects...why???? a good writer along with a great narrator is all you need..

As for the book, I was hoping for a little more with this book, 8 hours, even Anita needs at least 10-12 hours to get into real trouble, it was very perdictible, as her books have been with the last 4, I was hoping she would move Anita along more in her life, make some sort of life changing decision...but no... same old . same old..but if ya love AB then its a good listen..

20 of 25 people found this review helpful

Good not great

After the other 19 books in this series, I am disappointed. Don't misunderstand the book IS good, but only good. Having read everything published by the author I am hooked on the complex characters and steamy scenarios. Compared to the author's other works, Hit List is either over edited or under developed...or both.

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

Short and just a bit boring....

If I'd been reading this instead of listening to it, I'd have been scanning pages. That would have been a shame because it's so short, I'd probably have been able to read it in an afternoon.

I think that I've been had. I'm such a fan of her books that I just automatically buy them. I'm not going to buy any more anita books. If she is going to write a story as short as this, she should bundle it with other stories and not rip us off. All my friends, Richard and Jean Claude, Nathaniel and Micah.. will just have to go on without me.

I'd say that she needs to move on and start a new series but now I'm thinking Ms. Hamilton just doesn't have it in her. What a shame.... she was the best.

15 of 19 people found this review helpful

I bought this because of the 5 star ratings

I should have read the written reviews before I spent the credit. I am not sure why the written reviews have few stars and yet somewhere out there a great many people must have loved this book and rated it highly enough to overwhelm the lower rated written reviews. I would really like to know what these many many people who rated this book highly specifically liked. Sometimes the things other readers do not like I do, and it helps choose a book. Sometimes the things other readers do no like helps me not to choose a book.

So I will say I specifically liked the glimpses of the original Anita in this book, her self-assurance, her choices not to allow others to define her, and her willingness to standby those people she has chosen as part of her family.

I found it difficult to stay immersed in the story when her character will not allow others the right to think differently from the way she thinks. I also miss the fact that the supporting characters no longer seem as strong as she is. If everyone around the main character is weak, then the main character can't show her strength, and she comes off as a temper tantrum throwing tyrant, in charge not because she is strong, its just everyone else is weaker.

It is useless to compare the following books to the first eight, because we readers are obviously not going to get that world back, I wonder if I would find the newer one's as irritating if I had not read the early ones.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

This STINKS!

Wow! What a waste of time! My brain still hurts. Somehow Anita never really seems to save anybody. She wastes way too much time arguing about her sex life with "unbelievers". Gah!!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful