Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed. (Susan Sizemore)
Praise for Charlaine Harris:
Harris writes neatly and with assurance. (New York Times Book Review)
An author of rare talents. (Publishers Weekly)
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: audiobook narrator brings this story to life Comment: After finishing Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)series this summer, I was looking for a new series available on audio download to listen to during my daily commute to work. I tried reading Undead and Unwed (Queen Betsy, Book 1) which was ok, but the narrator butchered accents and dialect and left me feeling disconnected from the characters. Someone suggested the Charlaine Harris 'Southern Vampire Mystery' series, and I was soon hooked.
The entire audio series to date (books 1-8) has been narrated by Johanna Parker.
Book one, Dead Until Dark, introduces us to our heroine, Sookie Stackhouse - a telepath living in rural Lousiana. It is set in current times and we find that the world has been rocked by the announcement that Vampires are real and living among us. Luckily, with the invention of synthetic blood, vamps no longer require human blood to exist so they have started to integrate into society. Sookie soon finds herself involved with a handsome vampire and hunting down a murderer.
Johanna Parker does an excellent job narrating both the spoken dialog as well as Sookie's telepathic readings. The story is easy to follow, the characters are easy to distinguish, and Ms Parker handles accents and dialect without sounding cheesy or forced.
This series is not as intense and angst filled as the Twilight Series. It is fun and light... sort of chic lit with a vampire twist. Sookie's character is very likeable and you can't help but root for her. This book was an easy read (or listen, in my case). I would absolutely recommend the audio version of this story. Customer Rating: Summary: Summer Read Comment: "Summer Read" in my mind means overdone sex, campy mystery, and humor.
From prior reviews I expected a mix of Evanavich's Stephanie Plum character and Meyer's Bella character but that's not what I got.
I bought the whole series but will probably not read them. Customer Rating: Summary: Ending was terrible Comment: Overall, this book was a fun interpretation of an over utilized genre. It was a fast read, but my main issue was the ending. No spoilers, but I was totally let down by Harris' actions of Bill, the vampire. He is supposed to be Sookie's hero, and I am surprised that people gave this book 5 stars. Not that all heroes are supposed to "save the day," but the route he took was similar to those seen in other books (Breaking Dawn) that killed the whole experience for me. Customer Rating: Summary: Easy, Fun Read Comment: I've watched TrueBlood on HBO and am a huge fan, but I have to say that I actually enjoy the book more than the series. I would recommend it to anyone who likes books by Janet Evanovich, but wants a supernatural spin. The characters are believable and the ending's a real surprise. Read it! Customer Rating: Summary: It's no Twilight or Interview... Comment: While this book is written on about a 7th grade level, the subject matter is mature. The writing was dull, the characters shallow and at times I found myself thinking "Why am I still reading this?" Because I try to always finish a book when I start it, I pushed myself through hoping it would get better, but alas, it only got worse.
