Skin Trade (2009)

Skin Trade is the seventeenth book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series of horror/mystery/erotica novels by American author Laurell K. Hamilton. The audiobook is narrated by Kimberly Alexis.

Plot

The story begins as Anita receives a frantic call from Edward, known as Ted Forrester, a notorious figure who serves as both a friend and a deadly adversary. Ted, a master of death with a mysterious past, informs Anita that their mutual client Vittorio, an ancient vampire with a penchant for manipulation has been implicated in a plot that commodifies supernatural beings, using their abilities and bodies for profit. Vittorio’s involvement raises a red flag for Anita, who knows that his ambitions are always tied to darker purposes.

Reluctantly, Anita enlists the help of her lover, Jean-Claude, the Master of the City of St. Louis, and Micah Callahan, chairman of the St. Louis Fuzzy Coalition. Together, they delve deeper into this underbelly of the city, which leads them to a group of weretigers, including the formidable Victor Belleci, a powerful leader in the local weretiger community. With tensions rising, they must navigate alliances with both deadly foes and unexpected allies, including Bernardo "Bernard" Spotted-Horse, a seasoned supernatural investigator with roots in the Native American community.

As Anita and her team investigate, they discover that the skin trade is not just about profit; it’s a perverse form of slavery that has targeted vulnerable supernatural beings. Eleanor, a young wereleopard, is found dead, and her tragic story becomes pivotal in urging Anita to uncover the truth. The emotional weight of the killings forces Anita to confront her own beliefs about right and wrong within a world where morality is often manipulated.

Amid escalating violence, they learn about a secret network led by a notorious practitioner known as "Cannibal" Rocco, who has been luring victims into a dark circle. Rocco represents a previous chapter in Anita’s life, a reminder of choices she has made that haunt her. She must confront this specter of her past while balancing her responsibilities to both her human friends and the supernatural community.

As the investigation progresses, Anita meets the Rodriguez family, who are embroiled in the chaos. They include Manuel and Consuela "Connie" Rodriguez, who are determined to save their children from being swept into the skin trade. The family's trials lead to a shocking discovery that reveals deep-seated corruption within the ranks of law enforcement, represented by officers like Rupert Shaw and Officer Baldwin, who are entangled in the web of complicity and greed.

As Anita races to prevent a potential war between the weretigers and the vampires, she faces moral dilemmas that test her allegiance to both communities. The stakes rise when an insidious figure emerges: Marmée Noir, the enigmatic "Mother of All Darkness," who seeks to capitalize on the chaos to consolidate her power, threatening to upend the fragile balance Anita has worked to create.

In the set against the backdrop of a full moon, Anita faces off against both Rocco and Marmée Noir. It becomes a battle not just for the lives of the innocent, but for the soul of the city itself. Through cunning tactics, alliances forged in blood, and her unique abilities as a necromancer, Anita strives to dismantle the skin trade and uncover the truth before it consumes her and everything she holds dear.

The final epilogure of the violence, with the skin trade dismantled and moral lines redrawn, Anita must confront the repercussions of her actions, the relationships that have been tested, and the grim realities of a world where darkness constantly looms. As she looks towards an uncertain future, the story leaves readers contemplating the continuous dance between light and shadow in a universe where nothing is truly black and white.

Characters

Major characters

Anita Blake: Anita travels to Vegas because if she did not, she believes other people will die. She goes without most of her loved ones because she is afraid that Vittorio will use them against her. However, her troupe of men is always near her mind as she has to prove the male characters in Vegas that she is dangerous and does not sleep with anything that moves. A main theme scattered in the pages is the idea of not adding to her list of men that she sleeps with, however, in the end there is no resolution. A few more men are added to list, actually.

Edward / Ted Forrester: Edward plays Anita's main friend and adviser in 'Skin Trade' if there is a problem, Anita looks to him to help solve it. The problems that he helps her range from her metaphysical issues to defending her from Olaf. Edward acts a little like a boyfriend to her to keep Olaf at bay, since no one else that Anita dates or loves is dominant enough. Yet Anita says she could never feed off Edward in any way because it would be like doing a family member. Edward admits to have been contacted as Death to take out the Mother of Darkness and he turned down the contract. The price was right, but he admits that he has commitments now, his alter-ego Ted has people who love him and Edward would prefer to return home to them than to fight something potentially more dangerous than he is.

Olaf / Otto Jefferies: In the beginning Olaf creeps Anita out repeatedly, as it becomes apparent that he "likes" her. As in, he'd like to date her. For Anita, Olaf would try to be normal, he admits. In a tight moment, he offers to feed her if needed and says it would be regular sex, as little blood as necessary. Anita dances around the subject, trying not to get on his bad side, always remembering that some day she may have to kill him for her safety.