Publisher's Blurb:

"When Anita Blake's boss at Animators, Inc., informs her that she's expected to raise 300-year-old zombies from a field of jumbled bones just to settle a land dispute, she's understandably annoyed. But as soon as she arrives in Branson, Missouri, to do the deed, the job gets more interesting. A psychotic sword-wielding vampire starts committing multiple murders in the area, and Anita must call on Jean-Claude, her powerful fanged suitor, for help. As always, Anita prevails over the undead, keeping Jean-Claude at arm's length, clearing the cemetery land of an ancient enchantment, and nailing the vampiric killer in one fell swoop."

"First, there were the dead in the graveyard - two-hundred years dead. I'd been hired to raise them to settle a dispute over who owned the land they were buried in.

Then there were the three dead teenagers in the woods, slaughtered in a way I had never seen before.

And then they found the dead girl, drained of blood and left in her bed.

I knew what that meant, all right. It didn't take a degree in preternatural studies to figure out that something was very wrong in and around Branson, Missouri. My name is Anita Blake. Welcome to my life..."

Publication Date:

Paperback - Ace edition/ October 1996, May 2001, Jove edition/ October 2002
Hardcover -November 1, 2005

ISBN:

0-441-00374-5 (APB), 0-515-13446-5 (JPB), 0-425-20567-3 (HC)

Covers and Cover Art:

The above cover was from the 2002 paperback republication of the book. The artist is: Craig White. Additional cover designs for North America and the UK can be seen here.

Synopsis:

To settle an ownership despute, Anita is called in to raise the dead in an ancient graveyard to determine which family is buried there and thus owns the land. She brings Larry Kirkland along with her to Branson to see if she can do the task. The high stakes climb when shortly after her arrival, there is evidence of illegal vampire activity in the area as well as some strange killings.

For a more detailed plot summary of the book, see here.

Primary Characters:

Anita Blake
Jean-Claude
Jason Schuyler
Larry Kirkland

Recurring Characters:

Dolph (by phone)

New Characters:

Raymond Stirling;
Lionel Bayard;
Ms Harrison;
Mr and Mrs Quinlan, and their children Ellie and Jeff;
Dorcas Bouvier;
Magnus Bouvier;
Sergeant Freemont;
Beau;
Lisa and her unnamed friend, two college girls who agree to visit Seraphina's lair;
David St. John; his wife, Beth
Officer Wallace, a police officer that accompanies Anita on her vampire hunt;
Federal agents Elwood and Bradford. Rawhead and Bloody Bones, a Fey creature Serephina,
Kissa,
Bettina,
Pallas,
Janos,
Ivy,
Bruce,
Xavier,
Andy

Character Deaths:

Three unnamed murdered teenaged boys, killed by Bloody Bones;
A teenaged boyfriend and girlfriend, killed before the novel begins by Bloody Bones;
Andy, presumably killed by Anita in an early firefight;
Officer Granger, killed by Anita to prevent him from shooting Larry.
Beth St. John, killed by an unnamed brown haired female vampire.
The brown haired female vampire herself, killed by Beth's husband, David St. John;
Ivy, killed by Anita in self-defense;
Rawhead and Bloody Bones, killed by Anita and Xavier;
Ellie, turned into a vampire by Andy and killed when Magnus dragged her into sunlight;
Magnus Bouvier, burned to death when Anita forced Ellie to hold onto his waist as he ran out into sunlight;
Seraphina, Xavier, Janos, Pallas, Bettina, (presumably) Kissa, Jeff Quinlan, burned when authorities set fire to the Bloody Bones.

Important Revelations:

• Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude takes a large step forward in this novel.
• For the first time, Anita requires Jean-Claude's substantial help as more than a source of information.
• In addition, as Anita sees Jean-Claude "die" with the dawn, gives him blood to save his life.
• By spending a book with Jean-Claude but not Richard, Jean-Claude becomes a more substantial rival for Anita's affections.

Explanation of the title:

Within the novel, "Bloody Bones" is the name of a restaurant that is operated by two of the principal characters in the novel, Magnus and Dorcas Bouvier. In this case, the restaurant itself is named after a character in the novel, Rawhead and Bloody Bones, making the title somewhat eponymous.

Info on this page has been gathered from the following sources:

1. LKH at Penguin Putnum Publishing
2. Bloody Bones on Wikipedia
3. Bloody Bones, the novel

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