A whole new level

Book info: The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K Hamilton. Published by Ace Books in 1994.

Years ago when I first read these books, they took me to a whole new level of gore. At that point, I had never really gotten into horror or cop dramas. It would be years before I was comfortable watching shows like Criminal Minds or Law and Order: SVU. Re-reading them now I realize that became my measuring stick. These are as scary as I go. I don't do creepier than Laurell K. and this book is definitely creepy.

As usual there are 2 separate story lines moving through this novel which come together in the end. On one hand Anita is assisting the cops on a set of gruesome murders. The goriest scenes she has ever visited with the bodies of adults and children ripped apart and partially eaten. She determines that they must be the work of a zombie but unlike any zombie she has ever heard about. On the other hand, a very rich man names Harold Gaynor wants to pay Anita a million dollars to raise a corpse that is almost 300 years old. Though Anita's boss is all for it, once Anita explains that a corpse that old would require a human sacrifice, the deal is off the table. But as anyone knows, anyone willing to do a human sacrifice isn't going to take no for an answer.
More then just a gory story, Hamilton is still building her world and fine tuning her craft. These are her first novels. She builds on the world she had created in the first book and each character seems to have a bit more depth. We come to understand the reality of Anita's job, as animator, as executioner, and as paranormal expert for the police. While she is one of the best in her field, it is obvious that the field is still young. There seems to be quite a bit she just doesn't know. Even more there are things she doesn't want to know. We are also introduced to other practitioners of the art (animators) and we see the varying levels associated with it. As with all jobs, there are good people and bad people. Anita seems to want to be on the side of the good people but she is beginning to compromise. For the first time we se her philosophy plainly explained:

     "I have no personal stake in these people, Jean-Claude, but they are people. Good, bad, or indifferent, they are alive and no one has the right to just arbitrarily snuff them out."
     "So it is the sanctity of life you cling to?"
     I nodded. "That and the fact that every human being is special. Every death is a loss of something precious and irreplaceable."
     "You have killed before, Anita. You have destroyed that which is irreplaceable."
     "I'm irreplaceable too," I said. "No one has the right to kill me either."

This seems to be the mantra that lives through the rest of the series. She does expand some to include all beings, but the theme remains the same. Everyone is irreplaceable, shapeshifter, vampire or human. Anita will fight to protect them all. Yet, she has the right to defend herself as well. Therefore, if you are going to try to take out any of those that she deems hers, you better take her down first. Because you won't get a second chance. Hence the final scene when she makes sure to eradicate those that were willing to kill her.