Dead and Gone - Vampire Book Review

Harris, Charlaine
Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9)
Ace, May 5, 2009

Sookie seems to have softened her attitude to former vampire boyfriend, Bill. No longer does she make disparaging remarks whenever his name comes up. Instead she remembers that he was her very first lover, and that they had shared many wonderful times. He still lives close by, and he is still there for her protection should she need it. But Sookie's amorous attention is strongly focused on the powerful vampire Eric. Her erotic fantasies go wild whenever he is around.

Vampires started the craze of coming out to the ordinary human world. Now weres/shapeshifters have done the same. In a highly publicized TV interview a gorgeous young woman explains that there are those who appear completely human but have a second nature within. This lovely gal then demonstrates by turning into a wolf. Many viewers are shocked and publicly demonstrate their belligerence toward such freaks of nature. Unfortunately the issue of minority rights and hate crimes become a serious problem when Crystal, a pregnant werepanther and estranged wife of Sookie's brother Jason, is murdered. Her body, nailed to a cross, is found in the back of Merlotte's, Sookie's place of employment.

In the midst of this turmoil Sookie finds her life endangered by a rebellion in the land of the Fairies. She recently discovered that one of her grandfathers was fae. These are creatures of such beauty that most mortals and strangely most vampires consider them irresistible. It was Sookie's great grandfather who told her of her ancestry. This had the unintended consequence of bringing her to the attention of a rebel faction that believe fairies should never mix with humans. To them someone like Sookie is an abomination.

Confusing thoughts and feelings about the intoxicating uber-vampire Eric, the brutal death of her sister-in-law, and an unearthly rebellion that nearly costs Sookie her life are the central themes of this latest Charlaine Harris Vampire Mystery. The dramatic intensity is so taut in the final scenes that no reader will want to put this book down until the last page. I have loved all of the Sookie stories, but Harris has surpassed herself with this darker take on life in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana.

Read chapter one