Part of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, book 19
First published 2010
Anita Blake sits through another children's dance recital in St. Louis, watching sequined performers while her will to live slowly drains away. She tries to maintain normal relationships as a vampire executioner and U.S. Marshal, attending school events with friends and their kids. Then a figure from her past makes contact. The Mother of All Darkness was thought dead in an explosion, but this first vampire and dark creator of her kind proves difficult to kill. She reaches out to Anita in St. Louis, threatening everyone Anita cares about most. The ancient goddess believes the triumvirate between master vampire Jean-Claude, Anita, and werewolf Richard Zeeman contains enough power for her to regain physical form and enter the New World. She wants to possess Anita's body for this immigration. Anita must learn what sharing her body means outside the bedroom. If the Mother of All Darkness cannot take over Anita's form, she plans to ensure no one else can use it either. Even Belle Morte, rarely an ally, sends a warning to run.
Genres: romance, fantasy, horror, thriller, action, paranormal
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: St. Louis
Period: Contemporary
356 pages · Hardcover · Berkley
Content warnings: violence