Circus of the Damned

The story begins with the arrival of the St. Louis. The circus features a variety of bizarre and unsettling acts, including a talking ape, a woman who can manipulate shadows, and a man who can swallow swords. While the circus attracts a large crowd, whispers of dark secrets and unsettling events begin to circulate.

Anita becomes involved when a young woman is found murdered in the circus grounds. The victim appears to have been drained of her life force, suggesting a supernatural element to the crime. Anita is called in due to her unique ability to communicate with the dead and her expertise in investigating supernatural crimes.

As Anita investigates, she discovers connections between the circus and a series of unsolved murders dating back to the 19th century. She delves into the dark history of the circus, uncovering evidence of a powerful magical artifact hidden within its grounds. This artifact, a cursed mirror, is believed to be responsible for the murders and the unsettling events surrounding the circus.

The investigation leads Anita to Bert Vaughn, the enigmatic circus owner. It is revealed that Vaughn is a powerful sorcerer who has been using the cursed mirror to manipulate the lives of the performers and to fuel his own dark power. The mirror has a corrupting influence, twisting the minds and souls of those who come into contact with it.

Meanwhile, Richard Zeeman becomes entangled in the events, realizing the potential power of the cursed mirror for his own ambitions. He manipulates events from the shadows, using his influence to control both the circus and the investigation.

Anita, aided by Dolph and Zerbrowski, faces off against Bert Vaughn and his supernatural forces. The mirror's power is amplified, warping reality and summoning monstrous creatures from the shadows. The battle intensifies as Anita confronts her own demons and struggles to control her growing power while protecting those she cares about.

At the circus, where Anita confronts Vaughn and his minions. The cursed mirror, activated by Vaughn's dark magic, unleashes a wave of horrifying creatures, threatening to engulf the city in darkness. Anita, using her necromantic abilities and her alliance with other supernatural beings, fights to contain the chaos and neutralize the mirror's power.

The battle culminates in a confrontation between Anita and Bert Vaughn. She fights to control the mirror's power, using her own will and the combined strength of her allies to break the mirror and sever its connection to the underworld. Vaughn is defeated and the dangerous artifact is destroyed. However, the scars of the events remain. Larry Kirkland, now free from the mirror's influence, is left to rebuild his life. The circus disperses, leaving behind whispers of the horrors that unfolded within its walls. Anita, forever changed by the ordeal, must deal with the lingering consequences of her actions and the ongoing battle between the forces of light and darkness.

Circus of the Damned features the following major characters.

• Anita Blake: Anita continues her progression, as she initially is willing to kill Jean-Claude rather than be marked as his human servant, but ultimately continues to accept her role as a bridge between the worlds of humans and monsters in order to save the city. At the end of Circus of the Damned, Anita sees Jean-Claude as something more of a person and is willing to continue dating Richard, even though he is one of "the monsters."
• Jean-Claude: Hamilton reveals a little more of Jean-Claude's character in this novel. Jean-Claude's control over the city is apparently precarious, and, true to form, he attempts to use this very weakness to force Anita to surrender to him, showing his previously established manipulative, seductive, and somewhat ruthless nature. In addition, Jean-Claude proves himself quite brave in his vastly overmatched battle against Mr. Oliver, and quite deeply attached to Anita when he does not attempt to kill her in revenge for her almost killing him, nor does he surrender his romantic pursuit.
• Richard Zeeman: A "nice guy" alternative to Jean-Claude's manipulative seduction, Richard's good looks and brown hair remind Anita of Phillip, the doomed stripper from Guilty Pleasures. Richard's good looks, charm, and emotional vulnerability contributed to the love/hate relationship Anita developed with him over the next several novels.
• Mr Oliver: Mr Oliver is the most threatening opponent Anita had faced to date, and possibly the most threatening ever. By personifying her previous attitude that vampires were irredeemable monsters, Mr Oliver helped move Anita to some middle ground.
• Alejandro: An ancient vampire who is the first vampire to share all four marks with her, and thus the first to make her his full human servant, though she is by no means servant-like towards him. Because of his actions in this novel she is freed of Jean Claudes marks that she had gained in Guilty Pleasures.

• Circus of the Damned featured reappearances from Anita's coworkers, Bert, and Ronnie, police officers Dolph and Zerbrowski, and recurring character John Burke
• The novel introduced recurring characters Larry Kirkland and Stephen.
• Non-recurring characters include: Jeremy Rubens, the leader of Humans Against Vampires, Karl Inger, the human servant of Mr Oliver, The first vampire to make her their full human servant Alejandro, Rashida, Melanie, and Marguerite, a beautiful but unstable blue eyed blonde who is Yasmeen's human servant and lover. After Yasmeen was killed, Marguerite clawed her eyes out in grief.
• The death toll in Circus of the Damned includes: Calvin Rupert and Reba Baker, Humans Against Vampires members killed by Alejandro's pack; hospital guard Jimmy Dugan, an unnamed guard, an unnamed nurse and an unnamed vampire counsellor, killed by Rupert in an animalistic vampire state; Calvin Rupert, killed again as a vampire by Anita and John Burke; Raju, Ronald, and two unnamed men, all men ensorcelled by Melanie and killed by Anita; two unnamed snake creatures killed by Anita and Edward during the final battle; an unnamed child vampire and two unnamed women vampires, all members of Alejandro's pack and killed (probably by Edward) during the final battle; Yasmeen, killed by Alejandro, and Oliver and Alejandro both killed by Anita.

• Circus of the Damned title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database