Charlaine Harris
The Southern Vampire Mysteries: Dead Until Dark (2001), Living Dead in Dallas (2002), Club Dead (2003), Dead to the World (2004)
If I told you I'd been reading erotic, vampire mysteries, would you still respect me?
If the answer is "No," too bad. Since the Victorian part of my soul has to deal with it, you can too.
I read the first book because awhile ago I picked up Bite, a vampire anthology. I love anthologies, because I love short stories. And I love finding new authors, so even though a story might not be something I'd normally read, if it's in an anthology, I'll most likely read it (Unless it's obviously something I really don't want to read). I didn't read the first story, because from reviews I've read, the author doesn't write to my tastes, and I wanted to read something I'd enjoy. 
So I skipped to the second story, Charlaine Harris' "One Word Answer," which I quite enjoyed.
However, I do not recommend this route, because the short story occurs well into the series, and gives away some plot points of the earlier stories.
So, liking the story as much as I did, I picked up books two and three of her 'Southern Vampire' series used, and picked up the first book new.
It wasn't until I was about a quarter of the way into the first book that I realized that there were romantic bits to the book.
Rather graphic romantic bits.
However at this point I was really into the story, and the naughty bits were well done, so I told my inner prude to shut-up and continued reading.
And I'm glad I did because I really liked these books. They were lots of fun, AND well-written. Possible plot inconsistencies from book to book were mentioned and explained (which I really liked) and each book was complete in and of itself. Although a main thread continues from book to book, each book is a self-contained story.
Which was enough to make me do the good fantasy happy dance even without the good writing and story.
The series starts with Dead Until Dark where we meet Sookie Stackhouse, Southern barmaid and telepath who lives with her Grandmother, and where Sookie meets her first vampire, Bill Compton. (I the idea of vampires finally coming out of the closet, so to speak.) Sookie also has to deal with several murders, which is why the later books are classified as both fantasy and mystery.
I was going to write a bit about the other three books, but it's nearly impossible to do so without giving away parts of the other books. So, I'll pass, and if you really want plot points, you can read the back of the book or any number of Amazon reviews.
So why do I like these books so well? First, they're set in the South in a small town, and Charlaine Harris, in my opinion, gets both those parts right, from knowing everyone else's business to how everyone dresses. Second, especially in the later books, I absolutely love the fact that money matters to Sookie. She counts her pennies and worries about property taxes. That little bit of realism that strikes me as absolutely prefect, and really makes her real to me. In so many ways she's no one special, and what is special about her doesn't save her from the everyday problems we all have to deal with.
And she isn't perfect. She's bitchy at times, and has a brother who is far from perfect--and she knows he's far from perfect--but she loves him anyway. It makes her quite real, despite her unreal companions and situations.
So although I definitely won't be loaning the books to my grandmother, I heartily recommend them. Especially to people who aren't quite as embarrassed by reading about sex as I am.
Rating: 9/10
Dead As A Doornail (2005)
Dead As A Doornail is the fifth book in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series, and full of complications and murder and danger. Someone is killing the double-natured, and since Sookie's brother Jason was bitten, he's in the same danger as the rest.
I really liked several different things about this story. I found the mystery interesting--I like the way that she works the supernatural into the mystery. I did guess part of the mystery, although not the entire thing. But that just made the whole thing even better, since it's so satisfying to correctly guess the bad guy in a well-written mystery.
I also like how she continues to focus on how Sookie struggles to make ends meet. Things that are taken for granted in other mysteries are important here--things like hospital bills and health insurance and home owners insurance, and the little day to day issues of recovering from a tragedy. Those little details make the story far more real than stories that don't deal with the supernatural.
One thing that did bug me in this book, however, is that Sookie had way too many suitors. I was somewhat frustrated by the fact that supernatural creatures seemed almost unable to resist her charms. I realize that Charlaine Harris explains it to some degree, but still. (Of course it made the bit with Claude all the more amusing.) And I am very curious as to whom Sookie is going to end up settling down with. Part of me wants it to be Sam, since I really like Sam, but part of me thinks that she needs to end up with a vampire, since she always talks about how relaxed they make her feel, since she can't read their minds. So then I lean towards Eric, whom I also like. Though I suppose as long as it's not Bill or Alcide I'll be happy.
But that isn't a huge thing. And I really do love Charlaine Harris' storytelling. There are a lot of different characters, but they're all different and I don't have trouble keeping them straight. The dialog is sharp and witty, and the mystery is well done. In the face of all that, who am I to complain that Sookie has too many men falling for her?
Okay. One other thing bugged me. I wasn't quite sure why Lily Bard made a brief appearance. I got that Debbie Pelt's family wanted to know what had happened to her, but I found the fact that Lily and Jack were doing the investigating rather disorienting. They didn't seem to exist in the same world, so I was thrown when they showed up. Glad to see they were doing well, but thrown never the less.
If you're already reading about Sookie Stackhouse, then this is a book you don't want to miss. If you've never read a Sookie Stackhouse book, then you really should. However, you may want to start at an earlier book. Although you could read this book without knowing Sookie's back-story, I think it is easier to deal with all the different characters, if you know her past with them.
Rating: 8/10
Definitely Dead (2006)
First things first, this book had me laughing out loud, and reading passages to Michael. That usually only happens for Steven Brust books, but in multiple places Charlaine Harris nailed the dialog, and forced me to keep interrupting Michael game so he could laugh with me.
Additionally, for those of you who don't already know, I dislike hardback books. I find them uncomfortable to read, and they don't fit in my jacket pocket, so I can't take them anywhere. It is a measure of my respect for Charlaine Harris's writing that I bought this book in hardback, and within two weeks of publication. (Although I have to admit that if I hadn't bought the previous hardback on sale for $4.99, I would have been less inclined to get Definitely Dead in hardback.)
If you read the short story "One Word Answer" in the collection Bite, this book picks up the pieces left from that story: Sookie has to go to New Orleans to clear out her cousin Hadley's apartment, and ends up involved in the power play between the Queen of Louisiana and the King of Arkansas.
One thing I particularly liked is that Charlaine Harris resolved some of the issues I had with the last book. She reduced the number of Sookie's suitors, and explained why Sookie had so many supernatural suitors in the first place. I very much appreciated this, because it irked me that Sookie had every supernatural man she met swooning at her feet. I felt like the series was close to crossing the line from one sort of fantasy to another, different sort. Although Charlaine Harris didn't sweep the board clean of Sookie suitors, she did get the number down to something far more reasonable.
SPOILER
(rot 13)
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END SPOILER
The mysteries in this book were good, but seemed to take a back seat to resolving some of Sookie's romantic entanglements. Which was actually okay, because they really needed sorting out, and the two mysteries we got were pretty good.
If you have not read a Sookie Stackhouse book before, there is enough back story here to explain what's going on, however, it would probably be more satisfying to read if you have actually read the previous books. But if you're already reading the Sookie Stackhouse books, a lot happens in this story that you are not going to want to miss. Plus, it's a lot of fun.
Rating: 8/10
All Together Dead (2007)
It’s been awhile since I read a new Sookie Stackhouse story. They’re now published in hardback first, and as much as I enjoy her stories and her writing, I don’t much care for hardback books. I also wasn’t sure they were worth $25.
So I placed it on pre-order for the paperback, and eagerly read it as soon as it arrived.
Sookie agreed to attend the vampire summit as telepath to Louisiana Queen Sophie-Anne, and after multiple delays, the summit is now occurring while Louisiana has shifted from a position of strength to one of weakness following both the death of the Queen of Arkansas and the Katrina flooding. Now there may be a trial over the death of the King of Arkansas, while Sophie Anne remains in all but exile until the rebuilding of her New Orleans home.
Sookie has her own boarder in the form of Amelia the witch, another New Orleans refugee, only for reasons other than the flood. She also has to come to terms her relationship with Quinn, and where that relationship is going.
As with previous books, there is plenty of humor and mystery, as well as boinking. Sookie has her own view on life, but is also finally starting to realize how much her association with the vampires has changed both her and the way others in Bon Temps view her. I did appreciate that bit very much. Her friendships are becoming well-known, and as the Fellowship of the Sun takes hold, it is costing Sookie friendships.
I also liked the Sookie is now starting to deal with shades of gray much more than she has in previous books. She is finally realizing that those with whom she deals have pasts that are dark and bloody, and they also have allegiances that she cannot truly understand.
What I didn’t much care for is her continued whining and moaning over Bill, (good riddance) and her choice yet not a choice between Eric and Quinn. This is my least favorite part of these books, and although I appreciate that we were given a reason why vampires find her irresistible, I still think Charlaine Harris still goes too far in making Sookie all but everyone’s dream girl. That the one thing I particularly dislike about much supernatural fantasy, and although Sookie isn’t out of control, I do find it rather frustrating.
If you have not read any of the Sookie Stackhouse books, then I recommend going back to book one and starting the series there. Although you could in theory pick up any book in the series and start there, so much has happened in previous stories I think it might be a bit confusing to try and pick up in the middle.
Rating: 7/10
Books by Charlaine Harris:
The Southern Vampire Mysteries: Dead Until Dark (2001), Living Dead in Dallas (2002), Club Dead (2003), Dead to the World (2004), Dead As A Doornail (2005), Definitely Dead (2006), All Together Dead (2007)
