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Band:Charlaine Harris Album:Dead Until Dark Record Company:Ace Writer: Sherri Carras Click Album Cover To Buy Now

1st in the Southern Vampire Mysteries.

I stumbled across this novel while browsing Amazon. It was available as an e-book, but when I read the excerpts, I decided I needed to buy an actual copy. It was worth it. We’re introduced to Sookie Stackhouse, a pretty young waitress in a small town with the ability/curse to read minds. It’s naturally inhibited her social life, and made most folk think she’s crazy.

Her salvation from a very lonely life comes in the shape of a vampire named Bill. Oh, yeah, vampires are now out in the open, frequent restaurants, and own successful businesses. A new synthetic blood is on the market, making it possible for vampires to co-exist with humans with less casualties. There’s a lot of laws and regulations now, and also groupies known as Fang Bangers. (That’s what made me want to buy the book.) Bill is handsome, rich, and now her neighbor. He takes an interest in her, and she can’t help but be drawn to him. It’s not just the vamp allure, but also, with him being a supernatural creature, she can’t read his mind. It’s a breathe of fresh air for her to have mystery in a person.

Unfortunately, there is a murder in her little town, and it looks suspiciously like the work of a vampire. You have your stereotypical small-town prejudices against outsiders, and you don’t get much more outside than vampires and shape shifters. Sookie ends up in the middle, with unpleasant results. There is at least one moment when I feel choked up over the cruelties dished out to this lovely soul.

It’s not all small town stuff in this story. The big city has it’s share of the action. The ‘king’ of the region, Eric, runs a successful nightspot that caters to vampires, and the humans who want the thrills of dining and socializing among them. Eric takes quite a shine to Sookie, and maneuvers her into a position where she has no choice but to help him with his stake in the story. Eric is quite interesting. He’s a Viking vamp, blonde and built, and still speaks with a slight accent. He’s so full of himself, you have to love him, even while you want to stake him.

Once again I find I am reviewing a book where the characters are stand out. Charlaine Harris writes in the first person with a crisp, but innocent, tone. Sookie is more than just a pretty face, and knows when to use her particular talents to her advantage. The other characters lend the right flavor to the story. If you’ve never been to a small Southern town, this will get you pretty close. I like that Harris doesn’t portray everyone as a brain dead inbred, but she definitely doesn’t gloss it over, either. Just like the big cities, you have idiots that just make you want to slap them and say, “Shut up, you’re making us look bad!”

There are moments of melodrama, out and out violence, and also humor. The humor is often wry, and tinged black. This is the first in a series, and I can already tell you I am reading the rest. I wouldn’t advise starting in the middle of the series, though, or you’ll find yourself lost.

I will read this book again. It’s just under 300 pages, but I read through it in just a few evenings. I like everything about it, and actually can’t think of anything to complain about. Dang you, Charlaine Harris! How dare you write so well, and make me feel like my writing will never compare? I guess I’ll just have to give you more of my money and read the rest of your well-reviewed books.

I strongly encourage anyone looking for a good vampire story to use the Amazon link and snap this one up. While you’re there, you may as well buy at least the second one in the series, because I guarantee you’re going to be hooked, and want to know what happens to these characters next.

Band:Charlaine Harris Album:Dead Until Dark Record Company:Ace Writer: Sherri Carras Click Album Cover To Buy Now

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