Review: Sucker Punch by Laurell K. Hamilton

 

Book Description

A brutal murder, a suspect in jail, and an execution planned, but what if the wrong person is about to be killed?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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When a fellow U.S. Marshal asks Anita Blake to fly to a tiny community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on an emergency consult, she knows time is running short. When she arrives, there is plenty of proof that a young wereleopard killed his uncle in the most gruesome and bloody way possible. As the mounting evidence points to him, a warrant of execution is already under way.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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But something seems off about the murder, and Anita has been asked for her expert opinion on the crime scene. Despite the escalating pressure from local cops and the family’s cries for justice for their dead patriarch, Anita quickly realizes that the evidence doesn't quite add up.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Time is against Anita, as the tight-knit community is up in arms and fear against supernaturals is growing. She races to uncover the truth and determine whether the Marshals have caught the killer or are about to execute an innocent man—all in the name of justice. 

My Review

Anita flys out on a small plane to help her friends, a fellow Marshall with a murder case. But they aren't sure that the guy in question, a leopard shifter is the killer. Some of the deputies don't seem to care that the suspect might be innocent because he's a shifter and they're scared of him so they are less than nice about how they feel. 

I usually really enjoy this series but this book was a bit boring and just seemed to go on and on in the investigation. We don't see many of the guys she's in a relationship with during this book which I kind missed. I like the interactions she has with the people that do show up but there are a few too many twists in the murder investigation for me. 

Olaf made an appearance and for some reason I just love this guy. He's a sociopath and a serial killer but also a Marshall and he's go a soft spot for Anita. He really gets in her face about wanting to date her or at least sleep together and she seems to be failing to come up with more and more reasons not to. She's a little bit attracted to him but it's weird because she wouldn't be pursuing anything with him if he wasn't so insistent. Plus the fact that she is afraid that if she gives him a flat no, that he'll stop seeing her as a potential date and more of a victim which no one wants. 

Edward also made an appearance in this book and I like him as well. He and Olaf always make for an interesting time when they are together because Edward is a lot like Olaf as he's also a sociopath. It's kinda funny how many sociopath's there are in this series. 

The murder case took a few turns that really didn't add to the story and just made it seem like it would go on forever. I would have liked it more if they had solved the case earlier and then had time to spend with Olaf and get all of his questions out of the way. While there was some talk of sex, unlike a lot of the other books in this series there was no sex in this book. 

The book was an ok read but I didn't like it as much as I liked some of the other books in this series. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.