In this installment, Anita comes to the rescue of Richard, her werewolf-ex, who is accused of rape. I know plenty of Anita Blake fans who despise Richard, who admittedly can be whiny and self-righteous. There have been times I wanted to reach through the pages and slap him. (And given what she would later do to the character, I think Hamilton lost the love too.) But if I didn't always love Richard, I did love what he brought to the mix as a great foil for Anita. Richard is a werewolf who struggled with his basic nature--his flaw but also his virtue. Sometimes he seemed to refuse to grapple with reality--and people around him paid. But especially in retrospect, having hated the change in direction after the tenth book, and giving up after the 18th book, I do love that Richard stood for trying to draw ethical lines--for some normality and decency against which Anita lights up in contrast.
And the lines Anita does cross in this book could have shaken her up for the better. One development I had loved here that alas went for nothing was her burgeoning mentor relationship with Marianne, a witch, who was to teach her to control her powers. It would have been nice--for Anita among other things to have an important relationship with someone other than those she has sex with. Naturally, she's never seen again. *sigh*
