Finally a return to form! This is classic Anita Blake, with police work, favorite side characters and an actual plot that doesn't revolve around sex or polyamory! I really enjoyed the first 10 books or so in the Anita Blake series until it became nonstop group sex and this really reminds me of those books. I've always enjoyed Anita's work as a preternatural marshal and it's interesting to see the focus on that with some moral qualms about it. Anita also models a really healthy attitude towards therapy which you don't often see. If you liked the earlier novels in this series you will really enjoy this book.

It has been a long time since Laurell K. Hamilton has written an Anita Blake novel with absolutely no sex! Talk about sex and metaphysical powers having to do with feeding on sex energy, yes, but actual smut? NO! I couldn't believe it. Sucker Punch jumps us right into Anita Blake, U.S. Marshal Preternatural Division and a warrant of execution and since the stories usually rotate between this focus, the zombie raising focus, and the paranormal bad-guy focus, this wasn't unexpected.

With none of her entourage initially, and only a few that were not as prominent previously, except for Nicky, this was a unique offering as it was actually a who-dun-it. Called to a warrant to assist her mentee, Anita isn't being asked to participate in a hunt for a supernatural that has broken the law and been deemed a monster to dangerous to contain. No, she's being asked "What's wrong with this scene?" because there are suspicions that the U.S. Marshal's are being used to help hide the real killer with the distraction of the only shapeshifter around being the bad guy. The suspect is actually already in custody and it's more of a mental game of being able to kill the 'monsters' when they in captivity, not fighting back, and/or begging for their lives.

A real different offering from the last ten to fifteen novels in the Anita Blake series, bringing readers closer to the expectations of a true fantasy/mystery novel of the original seven or eight novels. Frustrations surrounding how long it takes them to suspect the villain were the dominant themes throughout this engaging read.