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Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse, #2)

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, I spent the morning finishing a book. It was Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris. This is the second book in her "Southern Vampires/Sookie Stackhouse" series. Story is told in first person pov by Sookie, cocktail waitress and telepath.

Now that the vampires know Sookie can read minds, she is a hot commodity. The vampires in Dallas seek her services to help them find one of their lost "brothers". The local vampires graciously loan Sookie to Dallas. She chafes at this new burden but agrees to take it on. Before she leaves for Dallas, however, Sookie is up to her knees in trouble closer to home. Someone murders one of her coworkers, although no one seems to care about it as much as Sookie does, and she encounters a dangerous creature in the woods who harms her as a message to the vampires. As a result, Sookie is already salty before she arrives in Dallas. There, she meets the local vampire nest, headed by geeky appearing Stan. She also encounters a cabal of humans who operate as a religious cult, with their only goal being to eliminate vampires. When Sookie tries to infiltrate their base so she can read minds, she is imprisoned in the fortified basement. She manages to escape, with the aid of supernaturals. The vampires recover their missing brother, and Sookie is relieved. However, the Fellowship is not yet done with the vampires in Dallas, and there's still the matter of who murdered her friend.

This was at turns touching, funny, and frightening. At one point, Sookie tells a human, who remarks about her obvious injuries, that the monsters didn't hurt her, people did. I found that rather sobering. I admire Sookie's tenacity and loyalty, along with her willingness to endanger herself for a good cause.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Okay, who's there?" I called. "If you're going to eat me, let's just get it over with."
♦ I looked like I was going to a party at the outpatient ward for battered women.
♦ "For bar hours, press one. To make a party reservation, press two. To talk to a live person or a dead vampire, press three. Or, if you were intending to leave a humorous prank message on our answering machine, know this: we will find you."

Very good book, fraught with danger, creepy in places (especially where the members of the Fellowship were concerned), sexy, and thought-provoking. Five stars!

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I spent my mid-week weekend reading Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. It's the first in the "Sookie Stackhouse" series, although my book is old enough to be marked as the "Southern Vampire" mystery series. Yes, I've had it that long, and yes, it's taken me this long to read it. I suck. Hah!

Sookie lives in the small, Louisiana town of Bon Temps, working as a waitress in a bar and living with her grandmother. Sookie keeps to herself, because of her odd ability to read minds. Not only does it cause her to have anxiety, but it makes the rest of the townsfolk think she's crazy.

When a vampire comes into the bar, Sookie realizes she can't hear his thoughts at all. She finds it refreshing and relaxing. Bill, the vampire, is equally intrigued with Sookie, especially after she risks her life to save his. They begin to spend more time together, but not everyone approves of their odd romance. The situation becomes dire when young women in town are being murdered, women who were known "fang-bangers". When local law enforcement focuses on Sookie's brother, Jason, she becomes desperate to clear his name.

The story was certainly interesting. I haven't watched a single episode of True Blood, which is based on these books, so I was going into the series blind. I think I anticipated it would be paranormal lite, a la Maryjanice Davidson's series about Betsy, the vampire queen. Boy, was I wrong! This book was tough and gritty and dark, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Favorite line: You won't find a vampire in a Ford Fiesta.

Very good, five stars!