SERPENTINE is the twenty-sixth book in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. In order to get the most of this book, it would be helpful to read a few books in this series before this one. SERPENTINE is very much a relationship-centered book and, in order to appreciate the different layers, reading previous stories will give the reader context. For readers who may be new to this series, reading CRIMSON DEATH, HIT LIST, and MICAH will provide a little insight into the main characters. The Anita Blake Wiki is also an invaluable resource for new readers. In SERPENTINE, U.S. Marshal, vampire hunter, necromancer, and all-around badass Anita Blake is on a sort of "busman's holiday." Anita and her two lycanthrope lovers, Micah and Nathaniel, are in the Florida Keys to celebrate their friend Edward aka Ted's wedding.

A huge chunk of SERPENTINE is focused of the interpersonal dynamics of longtime relationships -- between lovers, friends, colleagues, and enemies. If you prefer more action than character development, you might not enjoy this particular story as much. Thankfully, for me, I adore character-centered stories with oodles of witty repartee, snarky comebacks, and emotionally charged statements so this book was a blast to read. In the first few books of this series, I always thought of Anita Blake as a paranormal female Sam Spade. Anita lives and works in a world that is more often gritty than full of hearts and rainbows, and she is a detective, warrior, and survivor all rolled into one. In SERPENTINE, Anita has a full plate. What ideally should be a fun vacation with loved ones for a destination wedding, turns into more work than playtime. The last few chapters of SERPENTINE are perhaps more of the action and adrenaline-rush that fans of this series are accustomed to, but I loved everything about this book and it kept me glued to the page from start to finish.

At the opening of SERPENTINE, Micah brings Anita in on a case he's working on involving people who spontaneously sprout snakes on their body -- in inconvenient places and at inconvenient times. The individuals involved range from unfortunate to tragic. The snake situation lingers in the back of their minds as they try not to let it interfere with the wedding festivities, but there is some major foreshadowing. A lot of this book is about Anita finding a good balance between work and her personal life. Anita's issues are a nice contrast to Edward's own personal drama involving his bride-to-be, her crazy friend, and his struggle over how much of his true self to reveal and how much to keep secret. For me, this is very much a book about love because it's overpowering and everywhere. Laurell K. Hamilton perfectly captures the genuine love, rather than just lust, between Anita and the men in her life. Edward's love for his family creates some poignant, as well as, some equally chilling and heartbreaking moments.

SERPENTINE is a wild destination wedding-palooza -- with snake people, a meddling bridesmaid from hell, and a sociopath or two. The last few chapters of racing to stop a killer are entertaining, but also relieve some of the tension from all the relationship drama. I look forward to reading Laurell K. Hamilton's next Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter book.