1. Premise 8
2. Prose 8
3.
Plot 9
4.
Characters 9
5.
Overall 9
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Yet another author that I haven’t read before that is an instant favorite! If I had known it would be, I wouldn’t have made the mistake of reading the second book in the series first. But I’m going to read the first one immediately, and probably the third as well before moving on. The similarities to the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse books are a little too close, but these may predate them. Doesn’t matter, they are both highly entertaining. The humor here is refreshing; not as sophisticated as some of my favorite authors, but having its own voice and slant – it even took a little getting used to – and there’s a lot more humor here. Sprinkled throughout are truly horrific images and descriptions. One scene in which two murder investigators try to gross each other out with the body parts of the victims at the crime scene is horror slapstick at its finest! Just a lot of fun here and I’m definitely coming back for more. [Days later.] After finishing “The Laughing Corpse” I did in fact go on to read the first book in the series, “Guilty Pleasures” and then “Circus of the Damned,” the third. “Guilty Pleasures” is fun, but in truth, I might not have gone on to read “The Laughing Corpse” if I had started with GP. The author seems to be struggling to find some momentum in the first book; to establish parameters that can be used to continue the series. It pays off, of course, but it’s a bit of a rocky start. CD (“Circus of the Damned”) picks up where LC leaves off and may even be better, bringing each of the ratings up a notch – including the Overall rating. There are many more books in the series, but the ending of CD wraps up this trilogy very nicely, resolving issues that began in book one. The very last line, to cap off the trilogy, is perfection itself: “Most women complain that there are no single, straight men left. I’d just like to meet one who’s human.”
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