Series: Sookie Stackhouse – Book 5
Author: Charlaine Harris
No of Pages: 295
Release Date: 25 April 2006
Sookie Stackhouse enjoys her life, mostly. She’s a great cocktail waitress in a fun bar; she has a love life, albeit a bit complicated, and most people have come to terms with her telepathy. The problem is, Sookie wants a quiet life – but things just seem to happen to her and her friends. Now her brother Jason is about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. She can deal with that, but her normal sisterly concern turns to cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local shifter population.
She’s afraid not just because Jason is at risk, but because his new were-brethren suspect Jason himself may be the shooter. Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks – unless the killer decides to find her first.
My Thoughts:
This series just keeps getting better.
Sookie has more than one mystery to solve this time around with not only someone murdering shifters and seemingly blaming Sookie’s brother Jason for doing it, but an appeal from Alcide the werewolf also arises to help his father in his bid for pack master.
Sookie just keeps getting better and better, and she is so real as well. I was a little disappointed in her when she considered being with Bill again – I mean come on, he cheated on her! – But in a way, it was her first love; there is a bond there that for her at least, will never be broken. Her jealousy over Bill’s new girlfriend was hilarious, and I am sure that many have felt the exact same way when we were confronted with ex’s and their new partners as well.
Although I loved Alcide in Club Dead and really wanted him and Sookie to get together, in this I was really disappointed with him. He was manipulative, pushy and just plain rude at times. There was no courtesy regarding what Sookie might be feeling or if she really consented to being involved with the pack like she was, he only cared about his father. Which is far enough in a way, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of those you supposedly care about. He came on way too strong in Dead as a Doornail, sure Sookie was in need, but wanting her to live with him and barely knowing her is a bit much, even for a supernatural creature. I am proud of Sookie when she kept her head straight with regards to Alcide and his advances, people may think Sookie to be dumb, but she is actually incredibly intelligent when she has her moments, which only adds to her character.
Eric was as lovably scary as always, doing favours for Sookie in exchange for information about their time together when he had amnesia. He may be a conniving, manipulative fiend but as he plainly stated to Sookie, unlike others at least he’s honest about it. It’s what makes his character that much more likable, sure he’s a bad guy in some ways, but he’s upfront about the fact and he’s not afraid or ashamed of getting what he wants by using any means necessary.
This series is consistently good. Going in you know what to expect, you know there will be vampires, werewolves, death and a lot of blood, but Harris writes this series with a light heart. You don’t go into Sookie’s world and come out feeling like crap because of all the bad that’s happening. You come out with Sookie’s attitude of keeping a smile on your face and continuing on, but this series isn’t heavy anyway.
For the massive amount of death and destruction you don’t get depressed, you just keep reading and know somehow it will be better. It’s comforting and safe and that’s why I love this series so much.
I cannot wait to get into Definitely Dead, the next book in this series.
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and GoneDead in the Family
Dead Reckoning
