For most of us, harlequins are mischievous, mythic figures, nimble tricksters who entertain us with cartwheels and other acrobatics. For vampire hunter Anita Blake, the word carries a drastically different connotation. No one speaks of The Harlequin; the word is forbidden unless you have been contacted and to be contacted marks you for death. To save herself from this seemingly irrevocable sentence, Anita Blake must enlist the help of Jean-Claude, the Master Vampire of the City; alpha-werewolf Richard; Shapeshifters Nathaniel and Micah; and Edward. Dark, erotic action.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Hamilton just keeps getting better and better.
Library Journal
Vampire executioner Anita Blake is back in her 15th appearance, still spending most of her time dealing with her lycanthropy as she tries to avoid shifting into any of at least four animals. Belle Morte, the oldest vampire and the queen of darkness, is even more interested in Anita and invades her dreams, soliciting her as a potential human servant. As if that weren't enough, the St. Louis "Kiss" has aroused the attention of the Harlequin, a group of vampire enforcers who work in secret to discipline and execute those who run afoul of the Vampire Council. Hamilton uses a stream-of-consciousness style that would have benefited from tightening, but there is more plot and character development than in the last several installments. About halfway through, she drops the vampire politics, sex, and shapeshifting problems to tackle the renegade Harlequins and their animal and human servants. A huge cast of characters, both new and those returning from earlier books, could be confusing for listeners new to the series. The production quality is good, and Cynthia Holloway is a first-rate reader. Note, however, that there is graphic sex and violence. Recommended only for libraries that collect erotica and have significant Hamilton fans.
—Janet Martin
DECEMBER 2008 - AudioFile
[Editor's Note: This is a combined review with BLOOD NOIR]--Vampire hunter Anita Blake returns in Hamilton’s popular series. Narrator Cynthia Holloway does little voicing, and this approach works well because most of the story’s characters are male, and male voices are a challenge for her. Still, her wonderful delivery has lots of inflection and feeling, and her treatment of the erotic scenes in Hamilton's work is exquisite. The book is replete with a multitude of “were-animals”—from rats to lions, tigers, and leopards, as well as the traditional werewolf. Holloway’s use of a variant pronunciation of this key word form throughout is a distraction. Still, this production will succeed with lovers of vampire fantasy, especially those who enjoy Hamilton’s treatment of eroticism. M.C. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
