Way Back Wednesday - Bloody Bones

Bloody Bones (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter #5) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Bloody Bones has Anita travelling to Branson, Missouri, where she has been hired to raise, not one zombie, but an entire graveyard of zombies in order to determine who owns the land the cemetery is located on. As usual, she quickly becomes involved in a series of supernatural murders and disappearances. Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude takes a large step forward in this novel. For the first time, Anita begins to see Jean Claude as a person, not just a source of information. Her role as Larry Kirkland's mentor is also further developed and she is forced to relive the trauma of her mother's death.

Anita and Larry then go to a restaurant owned by "part-fey's" Magnus and Dorcas Bouvier, named "Bloody Bones," to investigate the land dispute involved in the upcoming zombie raising. The Bouviers are contesting the land dispute over the graveyard, claiming they own the land. During dinner, Anita gets a call from Dolph about a vampire related crime. In order to help solve the problems, Anita is forced to accept help from Jean-Claude. As with other books in the Anita Blake series, Bloody Bones has a very high body count.

Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude takes a huge leap forward in Bloody Bones. For the first time, Anita needs more substantial help from Jean-Claude than just a source of information. This book also has Anita seeing Jean-Claude "die" with the dawn and her giving him blood to save his life. Because this book focuses more on Jean-Claude than Richard, Jean-Claude becomes a more substantial rival for Anita's affections.

This book was originally released in paperback in 1996. With the success of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, it has been re-released in hardcover.

As with earlier books, "Bloody Bones" is the name of a restaurant that is operated by two of the principal characters in the novel, Magnus and Dorcas Bouvier. The restaurant itself is named after a character in the novel, Rawhead and Bloody Bones.