Affliction

Anita Blake, vampire hunter, is back in this exciting and sexy installment of the bestselling paranormal series. Facing zombies is part of Blake's job description as a necromancer, but rarely does she deal with the flesh-eating kind made popular by Hollywood movies. All that changes when Blake accompanies her lover, Micah, to his father's potential deathbed in Colorado; there she faces a kind of zombie she's never seen before: they're fast, cunning, contagious, and hungry for humans. While it occasionally gets bogged down by dialogue, overall Hamilton's latest is a meticulously plotted story featuring fantastically creepy action mixed with flirtatious sex scenes, making it the perfectly addictive read. Her take on zombies is invigorating%E2%80%94even for the purest of horror fans%E2%80%94it's no wonder readers keep coming back for more. . Hamilton also manages to embed contemporary issues in with the fast-pace action,; addressing sexism, homophobia, religious fundamentalism, and racism from fresh and unusual perspectives. (July)