with Verne's pack. Marianne advises Anita on building the wereleopards into a coherent group. Anita also has a long talk with Damien, and discovers that Jean-Claude gains power from lust and sex. Not only can he feed on the patrons of his strip club Guilty Pleasures, but on sex with Anita, or Anita having sex with Richard. She and Richard discover that the rape charges were an effort by art collector Frank Niley to drive Richard's study project from the area, allowing them to acquire some contested land and complete Niley's search for the Spear of Destiny. In desperation, Niley kidnaps and brutalizes Richard's mother and brother, causing Anita to cross another moral line, torturing Niley's messenger and killing everyone responsible. Characters in Blue Moon Major characters Blue Moon features the following major characters: Anita Blake: Jean-Claude: Jean-Claude only appears near the start of the book, but is still mentioned or talked about throughout. Richard: Asher: Damian: Other characters Recurring characters in Blue Moon include: Jason: Zane: Cherry: Nathaniel: Jamil: Dolph: Non-recurring characters include: Colin: the Master of the City, died when Anita killed his human servant Nikki. Barnaby: Nikki: Colin's human servant, was killed by Anita after she lured and tried to kill Asher. Major themes Allusions/references to other works Frank Niley and his entourage appear to be inspired by The Maltese Falcon. Niley's appearance and demeanor closely resemble Sydney Greenstreet's portrayal of "Kaspar Gutman" from the 1941 film adaptation of that novel, while Howard's physical description closely resembles that of Peter Lorre, who played Gutman's associate, "Joel Cairo" in the film. Similarly, Niley's futile quest for the Spear of Destiny resembles Gutman's chase after the eponymous falcon. Release details 1998 American novels American erotic novels Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels Low fantasy novels Novels set in Memphis, Tennessee Werewolf novels Ace Books books