Meanwhile Anita also has to deal with the fragile ego of the ancient vampire Asher, whose jealous behavior threatens the physical and emotional well-being of all around him.

Critical reception to Kiss the Dead has been mixed to positive,[2] with Publishers Weekly writing that there's "nothing here that Hamilton hasn’t done already, but there’s enough to sustain readers until Anita’s next escapade.

[4] News.com.au called Kiss the Dead the "literary version of comfort food" and "a fun ride for the most part".

[5] ScienceFiction.com stated that the novel was "the best offering in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series I’ve seen in a while" but that the repetition of phrases and character descriptions "could have been better".

[6] Romantic Times gave Kiss the Dead two stars, writing that the book felt "unbalanced and unfocused".