Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is a mind reading waitress living in Bon Temps, LA. Things are quiet in the small town until the vampire shows up. Not only is he handsome, but his mind is a blank – at least to Sookie. This is a great relief to Sookie who has spent her entire life trying to block out the thoughts of others. He’s the one person she can’t “hear.”

Unfortunately, not everyone is as happy as Sookie is to the see the vampire. Vampires have only recently entered society explaining their condition as a “virus” and surviving on synthetic blood and vampire groupies. Many humans still regard them with caution. To complicate matters young women known as “fang bangers” start turning up dead. When Sookie’s brother is suspected of the crimes and then her beloved grandmother is murdered, Sookie must solve the mystery in order to clear her brother, protect her new vampire friend Bill and get justice for her grandmother.

This is a wonderful vampire story for adults. There’s mystery, romance and sex (caution: while the book is not as graphic as the HBO show True Blood, which is based on this series, there is still some mature content. Young middle school girls enthralled with the Twilight series should look elsewhere for their next vampire read.) Sookie is a breath of fresh air. She’s a strong character (no dumb blonde here) who is not afraid to do what is needed to protect those she loves. Bill, the handsome, brooding vampire provides the love interest. Sookie’s boss, the mysterious Sam also adds a little spice. This series has a lot to offer: the supernatural, the mysterious and romance. What more could you ask for? Can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Glad you're enjoying these books. I've read them all and can't wait for each new one to be released. I've enjoyed the series also. Previous years stuck to the books pretty well, with just some (understandable) expansion of the story line. But this year they are so far off the story that most characters resemble the origionals in name only.