Dead As a Doornail
Charlaine Harris
Paperback, 320 pages
Penguin Group (USA) IncorporatedApril 25, 2006
Sookie Stackhouse is back in the fifth book of Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries – and she just can’t catch a break. First, her brother Jason – recently turned into a werepanther - is having a hard time assimilating into his new life. When weres and shifters become the target of an unknown sniper, Jason becomes the prime suspect among the supernatural community of Bon Temps. Sookie has to use her telepathic abilities to try to discover who the real murderer is before the pack condemns him to death.
When Sam is numbered as one of the shooter’s victims he enlists Sookie to ask Eric, the owner of the vampire bar Fangtasia, to lend Merlotte’s a bartender while Sam’s broken leg heals. Still conflicted about what happened between her and Eric when he was under a witch’s curse, Sookie is reluctant to get involved. Eric presses her for information about what went on before he recovered his memory and agrees to lend a hand only when she tells him what he wants to know.
She soon finds herself in the middle of yet another supernatural phenomenon when the packleader of the werewolves is killed in a car accident and his replacement is chosen after a series of contests in agility and strength.
A bartending pirate, a devastating fire, an abusive new vampire who has his claws (or fangs, I guess) in Sookie’s friend Tara, another trip to the ER (after her oh so pointless New Year’s resolution of not getting beat up anymore), and of course the reappearance of her first love Bill, keep Sookie quite busy throughout the story. Throw in some sexual tension with Sam, Eric and Alcide and you’ve got another great Southern Vampire Mystery.
I love this series because it’s so fun and fast - pure brain candy. I think I read this last one in about a day. I’m glad Sookie isn’t quite so obsessed with Bill anymore, although she’s not quite over him yet, and Harris manages to keep throwing in new problems without the characters’ reactions getting old or overdone. This one focused a little too much on shifters/weres for my taste but I loved it anyway, especially the parts with Eric and Sam. If you liked any of the previous books it’s safe to say you’ll like this one too.
These books always pull me into the story and leave me impatient to find out what happens next.
Have you read them? What are your thoughts?
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