Dead as a Doornail

Dead As A Doornail (2005) Charlaine Harris

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

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