Reading order · 25 books · 1993 to 2016 · Set in St. Louis
Anita Blake Books in Order
Anita Blake is a necromancer who raises the dead for a living and hunts rogue vampires as a legal executioner, in a St Louis where vampires and shapeshifters have legal rights. The early books are hardboiled supernatural mysteries; the later books turn towards paranormal romance and are for adult readers.
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Series facts
- Books
- 25
- Published
- 1993 to 2016
- First book
- Guilty Pleasures
- Latest
- Crimson Death (2016)
- Setting
- Set in St. Louis
The reading order
Every Anita Blake book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
25 books · Set in St. Louis
- 1Guilty Pleasures1993With Anita BlakeAnita Blake raises the dead for a living and executes vampires who break the law.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Laughing Corpse1994With Anita BlakeA wealthy man wants Anita to raise a corpse three centuries old, and a zombie is killing people across the city.Buy on Amazon
- 3Circus of the Damned1995With Anita BlakeAnita is caught in a power struggle between vampires, and meets Richard Zeeman, a schoolteacher who is also a werewolf.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Lunatic Cafe1996With Anita BlakeShapeshifters are disappearing in St Louis, and Anita is asked to find them.Buy on Amazon
- 5Bloody Bones1996With Anita BlakeAnita travels to Branson to raise the dead to settle a land dispute, and finds a darker case waiting.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Killing Dance1997With Anita BlakeSomeone has put a price on Anita’s head, and her friend Edward, a hunter of monsters, comes to help.Buy on Amazon
- 7Burnt Offerings1998With Anita BlakeSomeone is setting fire to vampires in St Louis, and the vampire council arrives in the city.Buy on Amazon
- 8Blue Moon1998With Anita BlakeRichard is arrested in Tennessee on a false charge, and Anita goes to help him.Buy on Amazon
- 9Obsidian Butterfly2000With Anita BlakeEdward calls in a favour, and Anita travels to New Mexico to help him hunt a creature that is killing people.Buy on Amazon
- 10Narcissus in Chains2001With Anita BlakeAnita is hurt rescuing kidnapped wereleopards from a seedy club, and must then protect a suspect as the abductors target more shapeshifters.Buy on Amazon
- 11Cerulean Sins2003With Anita BlakeAnita investigates brutal killings linked to a vampire-run business, while an envoy of the European vampire council stirs up power politics in St Louis.Buy on Amazon
- 12Incubus Dreams2004With Anita BlakeA vampire serial killer is preying on dancers, and Anita is called in to consult while worrying her ties to the Master of the City could cloud her judgement.Buy on Amazon
- 13Micah2006With Anita BlakeAnita travels to Philadelphia to raise a dead witness so that federal prosecutors can take his testimony.Buy on Amazon
- 14Danse Macabre2006With Anita BlakeAnita, a federal marshal and vampire executioner, faces a possible pregnancy and its consequences while the vampire politics of St Louis grow tense.Buy on Amazon
- 15The Harlequin2007With Anita BlakeAnita and her allies must unite against the Harlequin, beings so feared that vampires will not speak their name.Buy on Amazon
- 16Blood Noir2008With Anita BlakeA favour for a werewolf friend pulls Anita into a scandal that threatens the Master of the City, while an ancient vampire queen schemes for power.Buy on Amazon
- 17Skin Trade2009With Anita BlakeAfter receiving a severed head in the mail, Anita goes to Las Vegas to hunt a vampire serial killer who has slain officers and an executioner.Buy on Amazon
- 18Flirt2010With Anita BlakeA grieving client asks Anita to raise his late wife, but Anita knows what she could bring back would not be the woman he remembers.Buy on Amazon
- 19Bullet2010With Anita BlakeThe Mother of All Darkness, the first vampire, sets her sights on Anita and on control of America’s vampires.Buy on Amazon
- 20Hit List2011With Anita BlakeA killer committing gruesome murders in the Pacific Northwest baffles local police, who call in marshals Anita Blake and Edward.Buy on Amazon
- 21Kiss the Dead2012With Anita BlakeAnita searches for an abducted fifteen-year-old and finds a group of newly made vampires willing to die rather than serve a master.Buy on Amazon
- 22Affliction2013With Anita BlakeA mysterious illness linked to fast-moving, daylight-hunting zombies strikes a family close to Anita, and she must find its source.Buy on Amazon
- 23Jason2014With Jason SchuylerAnita’s werewolf friend Jason asks her help in explaining his needs to his partner, in a shorter, more personal story.Buy on Amazon
- 24Dead Ice2015With Anita BlakeAn FBI case involving the abuse of zombies, and trapped souls that point to dark voodoo, threatens to cost Anita more than she can afford.Buy on Amazon
- 25Crimson Death2016With Anita BlakeAnita and Edward travel to Ireland, where rogue vampires are breaking a vital taboo and Anita’s vampire servant Damian is suffering terrible nightmares.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with Guilty Pleasures.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Anita Blake | Jason Schuyler | Jean-Claude | Edward | Richard Zeeman | Nathaniel Graison | Micah Callahan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Guilty Pleasures | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 2 The Laughing Corpse | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 3 Circus of the Damned | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 4 The Lunatic Cafe | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 5 Bloody Bones | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 6 The Killing Dance | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 7 Burnt Offerings | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 8 Blue Moon | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 9 Obsidian Butterfly | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 10 Narcissus in Chains | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 11 Cerulean Sins | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 12 Incubus Dreams | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 13 Micah | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 14 Danse Macabre | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 15 The Harlequin | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 16 Blood Noir | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 17 Skin Trade | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 18 Flirt | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 19 Bullet | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 20 Hit List | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 21 Kiss the Dead | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 22 Affliction | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 23 Jason | MMajor | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 24 Dead Ice | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 25 Crimson Death | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
Characters in the Anita Blake books
7 characters from Laurell K. Hamilton’s chart, with the number of Anita Blake books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Anita BlakeNecromancer and vampire executioner | 25 | Guilty Pleasures 1993 |
| Jason SchuylerWerewolf | 25 | Guilty Pleasures 1993 |
| Jean-ClaudeMaster Vampire of the City | 25 | Guilty Pleasures 1993 |
| EdwardAssassin of monsters | 25 | Guilty Pleasures 1993 |
| Richard ZeemanWerewolf and teacher | 23 | Circus of the Damned 1995 |
| Nathaniel GraisonWereleopard | 19 | Burnt Offerings 1998 |
| Micah CallahanWereleopard Nimir-Raj | 16 | Narcissus in Chains 2001 |