Rating: 
Summary: second in the series, and the tension builds
Review: The Laughing Corpse is the second book in a great series. Those who already know that they like vampire novels, anything at all that features a vampire, can skip this review, and likewise, those who hate the whole idea of vampires can skip it. But for those trying to decide whether or not to read more of this genre, or whether the one vampire novel you've already read was a fluke, it may help to have some ways to categorize these novels. Thus: BunRab's Standard Vampire Classification Guide. First, most authors of vampire novels approach from one of the main genres of genre fiction; thus their background may be primarily in romance, or in science fiction/fantasy, or in murder mysteries, or in horror. Second, many vampire novels come in series; knowing whether this is one of a series, and where in the series it falls, may be helpful. Then we have some particular characteristics: - Is the vampire character (or characters) a "good guy" or a "bad guy"? Or are there some of each? - Are there continuing characters besides the vampire, through the series? - Are there other types of supernatural beings besides vampires? - Can the vampire stand daylight under some circumstances, or not stand daylight at all? - Does the vampire have a few other supernatural characteristics, many other supernatural characteristics, or none other than just being a vampire? (E.g., super strength, change into an animal, turn invisible) - Does the vampire have a regular job and place in society, or is being a vampire his or her entire raison d'etre? - Does the vampire literally drink blood, or is there some other (perhaps metaphorical) method of feeding? - Is sex a major plot element, a minor plot element, or nonexistent? - Is the entire vampire feeding act a metaphor for sex, part of a standard sex act, or unrelated to sex? - Is the story set in one historical period, more than one historical period, or entirely in the present day? - Does the story have elements of humor, or is it strictly serious? - Is the writing style good, or is the writing just there to manage to hold together the plot and characters?Laurell Hamilton's series starts from the thriller genre, and is a continuing series, with new books appearing each year for the last several years. (_Guilty Pleasures_ is the first book in the series, for those who want to start from the beginning.) The "hero" or main character of the story is not a vampire, it's Anita Blake, zombie reanimator and occasional vampire executioner. However, Jean-Claude, the vampire who in the course of the series becomes the Master vampire of the city, also eventually becomes Anita's lover, and is, we might say, the assistant lead character. The continuing characters include the various vampires living in St. Louis, a few police detectives and officers whom we see regularly, and Anita's neighbors. There are other supernatural characters, lots of them - zombies, ghouls, werewolves, wereleopards, wererats; for all I know, were-wombats may show up sometime. Jean-Claude and the other vampires have the usual super-strength and super-speed; in addition, they have the traditional "power to cloud men's minds." The master vampires occasionally turn out to have other, unexpected, powers. Many of the vampires work for or in nightclubs; the city of St. Louis in this universe seems to have a really kinky nightclub district! The vampires do drink blood, human, and by no means necessarily from consenting adults. The drinking of blood doesn't have to be associated with sex, but sometimes is. There are a lot of sexual undertones, overtones, innuendo, and atmosphere in the books, and after the first couple in the series, the rest have a generous amount of explicit sex. And some of it is inter-species, sort of. This series is not for the prude! Hamilton's characters have a nice sense of irony and sarcasm, and both Anita's thoughts to herself and the dialog can be quite funny, but the stories and plots themselves are quite serious. No cutesy fantasy or playing it for puns here In this book, we meet a voodoo priestess; vaudun is one of the many supernatural things that works in this version of St. Louis. In fact, the weather seems to resemble the real St. Louis, but other than that, I'm not sure you would recognize St. Louis from these books, the way you would recognize, say, Toronto, if you visited there after reading Tanya Huff's books, or Chicago after reading Elrod's series set in 1930's Chicago. This St. Louis seems to be populated mostly by supernatural characters, and most of the businesses seem to be bars or nightclubs. _The Laughing Corpse_ has a millionaire who wants to raise an ancestor to find out where he buried the treasure; an animator who isn't (I leave that for you to discover); murdered families, including some fairly grisly scenes (at which both Anita and various cops throw up); and some bodyguard/thugs who are played for farce - Anita manages to seriously damage them. Anita does get hurt, frequently - throughout the series, she seems to spend as much time getting things patched, then leaving the hospital before the doctor says it's OK, as the jockeys in a Dick Francis novel do. At the end of this book, after a climax that includes a mass zombie raising, Anita turns down yet another date with Jean-Claude. The tension builds!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: What a classis books. Once again Laurell K. Hamilton delivers with her second Anita Blake book. In this world, vampire, werewolves and zombies roam. They reek havoc on the night, and we need a savior....and have one. Her name is Anita Blake. In this book, someone has raised a 300 year old zombie, and it's on the war path. Anyone in it's way, it destroys....violently I might add. It's up to Anita to find the zombie and bring it down. The may seem like enought for a book...but Anita is also up aganist a voodoo preistess...who's very powerful and very angry with Anita, and will kill her at all costs. Hamilton writes with a style that keeps the reader interested untill the very last page. Hamilton is a very strong writer. When most writers write a "gross out" scene, they just go for the gorss out, and then end it. Hamilton isn't like that. She's blends horror, humor and suspence in her writings. Antia is an interesting character. She's tough. When her back is to the wall, she comes out fighting. She'll tell anyone anything, and not give it a second thought. I just adore her. :) I highly suggest you start with the first book called "Guilty Pleasures" and read them right though. I promise you won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: good, if you are reading the series in order
Review: This is one of the necessary books in a series. The first book catches your attention, but leaves a lot to be answered. The second book, The Laughing Corpse, develops the characters, especially Ms. Blake, and shows what they are willing to do if not now then in the future. There are a few hints of foreshadowing in this book. It also hints at the huge amount of power that Anita has and will discover in future books. If you are not reading these books in order then this book will probably not interest you as much. If you are reading them in order, which I highly recommend, then you will appreciate what you learn from this book after you have read the later books. I hope everyone has a beautiful day and KEEP READING!
Rating: 
Summary: Mmmm... Good, but I've read better
Review: I was a little dissapointed by this book compared to GP. There were some terrifically funny parts and interactions but too much of it seemed to be blood, guts, gore, etc. It seemed to have more gore than story but hey, it was entertaining, (I guess.) I really like the GIRL POWER note in every book, no matter how cliche it may seem. I most certainly think that Ms. Hamilton can do better.
Rating:
Summary: Four and a half stars
Review: _The Laughing Corpse_ is the second book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. It takes place in an alternate reality where vampires are legal and being an animator(raising zombies) is just another job. Anita is an animator who is also a consultant for the preternatural investigation squad(a branch of the police force) in St. Louis. In this book she investigates some mysterious and gruesome murders that just might be connected to her particular line of work. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Not Quite As Jolly As the Title Might Imply
Review: Like all of the Anita Blake books I have read so far (I've gotten up to _Blue Moon_, and stalled there; my dislike of Richard taints that book for me), this one was excellent. Fast-paced, darkly humorous, exciting, and well worth buying even at the exorbitant price that paperbacks cost nowadays. (Of course, I did buy it in a regular bookstore.) The potential reader should be warned, however: of books one through seven (at least), this is the most gory by far. _Bloody Bones_ is probably the only one to even give it competition. Messy deaths are described in great detail... and it isn't always an adult who dies. I'm not generally all that squeamish, but I still winced at a couple of the scenes in here. And while there is a leavening dose of humor, _Laughing Corpse_ remains the Anita Blake novel closest to being traditional horror. Don't read this one first. Start at the beginning, with _Guilty Pleasures_; if you can't find it, consider _Circus of the Damned_ as a starting point instead. There's a great deal to be said for this book, but it stands slightly apart from the others in its sheer amount of blood 'n guts and its darker atmophere. Anyone who's looking to get into the series might be better advised to do so via another route. Anyone who's already come to like Anita Blake probably won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the first
Review: I still cannot give this book 5 stars. There are too many annoying habits to Hamilton's writing, such as using the same phrases in each book. That aside, this is so much better than the first. Here, Anita takes on a zombie queen and although the ending turns a little silly, it was well worth reading. Hamilton's characters may be easy to judge, but they are still likeable enough to keep reading.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the first
Review: I enjoyed this more than Guilty Pleasures - I got a stronger sense of the characters, and the relationship between them. I think that the whole world of Anita Blake was better explained in this book, than in the first one. The plot was a little more sophisticated, too.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Gore
Review: This is the first book I've read of the Anita Blake series so I can't compare it to the others. Initially I found, that with one gory or menacing scene following another in rapid succession, I didn't have time to develop much empathy for the characters, and became ho-hum about rotting body parts and scowling bad guys. It's all very much 'in your face'. I found the humor to be of the 'insults tossed back and forth' type, which is as tiresome to read about as it is to listen to in real life, rather than that of character wit or originality, for which I was hoping. But when the author backed off and gave me space I did get a chance to feel her power and potential as a writer and a story-teller. Some of the characterizations were nicely done, and Jean-Claude was mesmerizing. I'd have liked it better if I'd not felt that the author was simply trying to gross me out.
Rating:
Summary: Review of "The Laughing Corpse" by Laurell K. Hamilton
Review: I ordered the book "Club Vampyre" from my Science Fiction Book Club to fulfill my member obligation. It was the trilogy of Guilty Pleasures, The Laughing Corpse, and Circus of The Damned. While reading it, I was on the edge of my seat with excitement and anticipation. Of the three, I loved The Laughing Corpse the most. Laurell K. Hamilton writes vampires so well! I aspire to be like her. When I heard she had written other books about Anita Blake, I committed to get the other books of hers to read. I definitely recomend this to anyone and everyone who appreciates the thrill of the supernatural.
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