Strange Candy

Written: by Laurell K Hamilton

Read by: Cynthia Holloway

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Price: $26.36

I've never read any of Laurell K. Hamilton's books so I was a little excited by this short story collection.

The cover of ‘Strange Candy’ suggests a host of erotic tales, although in fact, it is only the last story that fulfils this expectation, and could be a scene from ‘The Girl who was Infatuated with Death’. (Be careful at traffic lights as this is hot stuff!)

One disappointment for me was the packaging. It’s an attractive box design, but very impractical to use if you want to listen and drive. The box contains the seven CDs all individually sleeved; a nightmare to swap when you’re on the move!

Cynthia Holloway is already known by fans as the ‘voice’ of Anita Blake in Hamilton 's ‘Vampire Hunter’ series. She reads Hamilton’s first short story collection with an innovative flare for each character, and an easy voice to listen to. ‘Strange Candy’ introduces us to fantastical worlds, with Hamilton writing as if Lake Monsters, Cupids and Zombie Raisers were an everyday occurrence! Fans will find the 14 often darkly humorous tales irresistible, and they’ll be rapt that several are previously unpublished.

There’s a short commentary by the author before each story filled with anecdotes and asides. Some of this was interesting; some was repetitive and frankly a little boring

A few of Hamilton’s tales gripped me. ‘Selling Houses’ is about Abby, a gritty estate agent who has to sell a house at the centre of a gruesome mass murder. Abby realises that ghosts still remain, but the people she sells to actually don’t mind this at all! This story revealed a little depth, and I liked the political back story briefly interwoven into it. The ‘Vampires Bill of Life’ outcome is heard when Abby turns on the radio in the empty house. It’s a scene that plants the listener’s feet squarely in the world of Hamilton’s creation, and the ‘radio’ sound effect used for this was a cute touch.

‘A Lust of Cupids’ had me tittering, although it did have a hint of menace about it . A woman in her early thirties is set upon by a gang of mischievous cherubs. The Cherubs can’t stand to see a single woman in her thirties, and so hound her in a bid to get her to fall in love. Predictably, she’s rescued by a handsome man around her own age, who is also not bothered by the thought of marriage. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) they do eventually get besieged with cherub arrows and fall in love.

One of the most disturbing of the tales is ‘The Edge of the Sea’. It’s an eloquent story of a Merman that comes out onto the beach to seduce and kill women. Adria wakes hearing what she thinks is her flatmate, Rachel cavorting with a lover. She soon realises that what she has witnessed is her flatmates rape and murder.

Another dark one is ‘Here Be Dragons’. Jasmine Cooper is an empath and dream therapist assigned to work with a problem child. The ten year old girl has the power to kill people within their own nightmares. Jasmine is adept at quashing the sadistic desires sociopaths by using their dreams against them. The child's dangerous mind games are a huge test on her own power.

The last and by far sexiest of the bunch is an Anita Blake story called ‘The Girl who was Infatuated with Death’. Anita Blake is hired to find a girl who is dying of bone cancer and facing having her leg cut off. The only thing that will save the leg is being ‘turned’ by a Vampire. The mother reveals the girl already has two bites on her inner thigh. A third will kill the girl, ‘turning’ her into a Vampire. The girl is underage, making the act illegal with a death penalty.

Anita has to go a Vampire night-club owner for information on the missing girl. Jean-Claude could not be described any sexier, the imagery of which had me sending the windows down at one point. Sexual tension is clear between the two from the onset, and even before the investigation is underway, they are getting down and dirty on Jean-Claude’s desk. The girl is eventually found, although already turned. Anita buys chocolate sauce on her way to Jean-Claude’s, with only an hour to spare before dawn!

Only available in America at the moment from Brilliance Audio.