Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

It’s a typical day at work for Anita Blake, if your day job is raising the dead, and being a U. S. Marshal for the preternatural branch. One phone call changed everything. It was from the mother of one of her live-in boyfriends. Micah Callahan’s father was in the hospital and he was dying. Micah had been estranged from his family for years, but now, his mother wants Anita to bring the prodigal son home for a last good-bye.

Anita thinks it’s going to be a tearful trip down memory lane, until she learns that Sheriff Callahan was attacked on the job by a zombie. The bite is rotting him from the inside out, as if it’s turning him into a zombie while he’s still alive, but Anita knows zombies and they aren’t contagious. But something is killing Micah’s father, and he’s not the only victim. And there are the missing persons, far too many to explain away. While Micah deals with his family, Anita is pulled into a case so terrible she has to call for back up from friends and lovers that are no more human than the some of the monsters they’re hunting, and even that isn’t enough. Edward, Death himself, comes with badge and flamethrower to watch over his friend, Anita Blake, while she fights for her life and the lives of those she loves.
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So.....pros. Edward - always cool to see him (thankfully I don't agree with the reviews that say this book is setting up their future sexy times. Phew.), Nicky - didn't expect to like him so much but he works well in this story, coming into this own as a person and Bride to Anita, Nathaniel - awesome as usual, Cop/bad guy stuff - interesting to read and full of action (I'm not complaining), Sex - surprisingly minimal.

But books can't always just be about the pros right? Especially when it's this series there's always a few things that end up bothering you (Micah's family being a menage a trois too? Really O_o?) but ultimately my problem here is the same problem I had with the end of the Mother of All Darkness - a bad guy that requires 500+ pages to identify can be finished off in a paragraph? How does that make sense? It detracts from the rest of the book when Anita is just that big and bad that no one can stand up to the full weight of her powers. I get that she's the heroine and supposed to win but can we make the outcome seem at least a little bit more questionable?

Also, what the hell happened with the zombies and getting the victims to open up their homes to them? I went back to re-read the end and yep, I'm pretty sure they never closed that plot point up. Anybody read something I missed? Help a reviewer out.

Overall Feeling - C+

Series - ... 19) Bullet 20) Hit List 21) Affliction