Dead Until Dark
- Publisher: Ace (September 3, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0441016995
- ISBN-13: 978-0441016990
- Mass Market
- Paperback: 304 pages
Sookie Stackhouse has a lot going for her: she’s young and attractive, loves her job as a waitress at a local bar, enjoys living with her feisty grandmother, and is well-known in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. You’d think she’d have a ton of dates, but unfortunately everyone around knows that Sookie has an unusual talent: she can read minds. Sookie sees it as a curse, but the locals just find it creepy. While she has mostly learned to tune it out, sometimes the voices are overwhelming. When a honest-to-god vampire turns up in her bar, however, Sookie is delighted to find that she can hear… nothing! Oh, blissful silence! After the two mutually save each other from the nasty Rattrays, the two outcasts find themselves seeking each other out. As their relationship deepens, their sleepy town is rocked by a series of murders. Tempers run high when it is revealed that both of the young women were fangbangers (aka, people who seek out vampires for sexual favors in exchange for letting them feed), and the locals are incited to violence against the growingly flamboyant vampire community in a neighboring town. Desperate to protect her new love, Sookie does her best to cement Bill’s positive image in the area. When her grandmother is brutally murdered, Sookie is sure that she was the intended victim. Heartbroken, she puts her relationship on the shelf until her troubled brother is arrested for the murders. Suddenly Sookie is thrown back into the case to protect what remains of her family. A trip to a popular vampire bar to gather information brings Sookie to the attention of a very dangerous vampire and her loyalty to Bill is put to the test when it becomes clear that even a force as strong as he can not protect her from the ancient darkness that is Eric. Can Sookie stop the violence, protect her family, and keep her new found love with a maniac on the loose?
Sookie and the inhabitants of Bon Temps are quirky, outrageous, and utterly lovable, even when they are small-town bigoted hicks. Their unease around the newly recognized vampire community is handled with care and Harris does a good job of providing multiple viewpoints and reactions. In addition, the author presents a relatively complicated mystery with multiple suspects, a nice sense of tension between the protagonist and no fewer than three of her closest male relations, and a growing list of clues, twists, and turns. Of particular note, Harris manages to make one of the key suspects both highly likable and incredibly vicious. In the end, there are no clear heroes or villains, and in many ways, this increases the tension and believability (yes, I did say believability, realizing of course that I’m talking about a vampire mystery) of the story. The plot itself is interesting and fun, but Harris is greatest with personalities, and this first volume of the series is a study in superb character development. No wonder HBO was eager to pick up the series, and no wonder a legion of fans are raving about True Blood and each new installment.
Living Dead in Dallas
- Mass Market Paperback: 291 pages
- Publisher: Ace Books (March 26, 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0441009239
- ISBN-13: 978-0441009237
Sookie’s friend and co-worker is found dead in the parking lot of Merlotte’s, and efforts to solve the murder seem lukewarm at best. Despite her best efforts, Sookie is getting nowhere, and now she has been summoned to Shreveport to appear before Eric, the area’s head vampire. Along the way, however, she is used to deliver a painful message, and everyone feels it would be best if she got out of town for a few days. When Sookie and Bill are loaned to a large and important vampire nest in Dallas, however, they find themselves in danger as soon as they land. While using her gift to question the human staff about the disappearance of one of the vampires, Sookie discovers that the security of the nest has been violated by a traitor. When the key witness is murdered outside of the vampire sanctuary where Sookie and Bill are staying, the atmosphere in Dallas quickly becomes heated and the nest becomes desperate to find their lost brother and settle the matter quickly. When a series of leads point to the nearby Fellowship of the Sun Center, Sookie must go undercover to solve the case.
Sookie finds herself attempting to solve two crimes nearly at once in this volume. Along the way, she finds herself cavorting with swingers, coerced by fanatics, and surrounded by blood-sucking fiends. As always, Harris’ world is fascinating and her cast of characters astound. Both crimes are ghastly and bring up important issues regarding personal rights and cruelty. Several intricate subplots bring additional depth to the novel and increase the intrigue and tension.
Club Dead
*information is for the new tv series tie-in cover
Sookie and Bill have settled into a comfortable routine until his work on a vampire database begins to work its way between them. While she’s trying to be understanding, Sookie is more than a little miffed that her bloodsucking lover is more interested in his work than in her body. When his research takes him out of state, Bill leaves Bubba behind as protection, but before long, it becomes clear that Sookie wasn’t the one who needs protection. Eric has information that suggests that Bill may be reuniting with an old flame, but Sookie suspects there may be more to the story. With Eric’s help, Sookie teams up with a very sexy werewolf to infiltrate Jackson, Mississippi’s living-dead scene in hopes of solving the mystery. Can she resist her attraction to Alcide and save Bill? And does Bill want to be saved?
In this volume, Sookie is again the object of many mutual attractions (Alcide, Eric, etc), and her struggles to resist her animalistic urges plays a large role in much of the action. For a girl who began the series with no love life, she sure has come a long way! The underground society of Jackson is well developed and Harris goes to great lengths to create complex and interesting characters. Alcide in particular is a marvelously complicated individual who is torn between his attraction to Sookie and his mixed feelings about the recent engagement of his former girlfriend. It is refreshing to see a male character dealing with intense and conflicting emotions regarding his romantic entanglements. Debbie Pelt, his ex, is also a shifter, and her duplicity and bitchiness are shocking, entertaining, and, sadly, realistic (well, except the shifter part).
Dead to the World
When Sookie stumbles upon a naked, scared and sexy man running down the side of the road, she is shocked to discover that the surprisingly sweet and vulnerable vampire is none other than regional sheriff Eric. Apparently the once domineering and confident vamp has amnesia and needs a safe place to stay until his underlings can sort out the problem. Sookie’s brother, Jason, arranges for Eric to stay with his sister as long as the vampire’s agree to pay her. While Sookie is concerned that Eric may be bluffing in yet another attempt to get her alone, she is so taken with this new softer, nicer, more palatable Eric that she cannot say no. The only problem is resisting her attraction until the mystery is solved. If only it were that simple….
This new Eric is very delicious indeed, and readers may be surprised that the ancient blood-sucker can be so caring, sensitive and tasteful. Naturally, Sookie and the reader will wonder if it is all too good to be true, and the escalating sexual tension at home is only matched by the brewing war with the new coven of witches who have moved into Shreveport bent on taking over. Look for a return visit from an old friend as well as the timely return of the previously indisposed Bill. Be warned… there will be many victims of the war.
Dead as a Doornail
When a sniper starts taking out unrelated citizens of Bon Temps, everyone is concerned, but none more so than the local shifter community. All of the victims have been shifters, but since the species is still living secretly in the human world, the police investigating the shootings have nothing to link the victims to one another. With one young girl dead, the local werepanther pack master in the hospital, and Sookie’s boss, Sam, incapacitated, Sookie is starting to take notice. She is shocked to hear that many of the werepanthers suspect her brother, Jason, of being the sniper since his transformation came in such a brutal way. Once again, Sookie is forced to turn to Eric and the vampire community for help on Sam’s behalf. Eric offers up his flamboyant and sexy new bartender, a pirate complete with eye patch and flowing shirts. Against her fervent wishes, Sookie finds herself offering him shelter since she has lightproof accommodations. The heat is kicked up a notch, however, when the new vamp kills a young man with apparent ties to the Brotherhood as he starts a fire that claims a portion of Sookie’s house. Sookie must move fast to clear her brother’s name, find the sniper, and rebuild her beloved home.
Once again, Sookie is drawn into the supernatural community by strange and dangerous events that put herself, her family, and her friends at risk. In an interesting side plot, Sookie finds herself offering advice and aid to her friend, Tara, who has recently become involved with a shady vamp, and Sookie’s former flame, Bill, plays a role in the background, as does the ever steamy Eric who is still trying to work his way into her pants. Yummy Werewolf beau Alcide turns up again offering up his services, but at a price, and his less than honest means have Sookie up in arms. His charms, however, lead her to a new, dangerous morsel who looks to figure in the next installment of the series. Sookie continues to grow and develop into a savvy, capable woman, and her sexuality has rarely been higher. In this volume, she proves that she is a modern woman who wants more than just a man to take care of her, even though more than one offers.
Definitely Dead
coming soon!
4 out of 5!
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