Dead in the Family

Charlaine Harris

May 2010 · Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood Book 10 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

In the tenth novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series—the inspiration for the HBO® original series True Blood—Sookie Stackhouse learns that not even her psychic abilities can help her solve all the problems in Bon Temps, Louisiana...

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Fae War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new vampire king because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the shifters’ coming-out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to one particular Were draws her into the dangerous debate. Also, unknown to her, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side—and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry.

Ratings and reviews

Not as exciting as some of the other novels in this series, but a fun read nonetheless. It is a little heavy on some details (i.e. the "supe" politics), and I felt lacking in others (I could have used a little bit more on the events of the last novel as they're released a year apart). Fans of the series will enjoy it. Fans that also enjoy the T.V. will likely need to do some remembering as to the differences between this and background provided on the show.

I was kind of disappointed with this latest installment and I am not quite sure why... I am certainly happy with Sookie's lovelife, but there was something missing with the plot, and in Sookie's relationships. Though Sookie's character is understandably darker now, she is also a little less charming... And this book hinted, for what seems to be the first time, that Sookie may want to be turned into a vampire. Which is a twist I did not see coming. I liked the development of her friendship with Sam (he will always be one of my favorite characters) and I do hope to see more of Hunter in future books. Mostly I feel strange that I am not anxiety-ridden about the yearlong wait for the next book in the series. This might be because I did not re-read the whole series first, but I am not sure... I was also a little annoyed about having pre-ordered this for the Kindle, only to be forced to buy the hard cover.

I was a bit disappointed with this installment of the Sookie series. The book was a fast paced read that wrapped up a number of loose ends from the previous books. As a stand-alone though, it did not have the plot development and mystery that Harris is usually very talented with. I found the relationship between Sookie and Eric to be odd, lacking a real connection like I found with Sookie and Bill. There was a also a lot of minutae of dealing with Sookie's chores, getting dressed, combing her hair... things I really don't care about. I'll continue to read this series in hopes that Harris returns to the murder-mystery type plotting she is so good at. I hope for further development and more character attachment in the next book. I still love Sookie, but I'm starting to lose interest, and that makes me sad because this is truly a wonderful series.

About the author

Charlaine Harris is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse and Midnight, Texas, fantasy/mystery series and the Aurora Teagarden, Harper Connelly, and Lily Bard mystery series. Her books have inspired HBO’s True Blood, NBC’s Midnight, Texas, and the Aurora Teagarden movies for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. She has lived in the South her entire life.