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Summary: Funny, Fast Paced & Unforgettable Vampire Mystery!
Review: This is the second in the Southern Vampire series and continues the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic Southern waitress, and Bill, her vampire boyfriend. Although I really enjoyed Dead Until Dark, I thought that Living Dead in Dallas was better. It had a faster pace and more subplots to keep me interested. I recommend reading the first book, though, because you will appreciate the characters more. And speaking of characters - every character in Charlaine Harris' books is very memorable and fun to get to know. Sookie is just a scream and readers will fall in love with Bill as he struggles to balance between being a vampire and being human. I love the main characters, but I also want to know more about the supporting characters - the blond-Adonis vampire Eric, the geeky head vampire Stan, the insane maenad, and many, many more. All of Harris' characters are fun to get to know and I hope that I will see more of them in the next book. Charlaine Harris also has some very interesting vampire ideas that make them seem more real. She adds little random touches throughout the novel that answer questions that you never really knew that you had. For example, some vampires can fly, but how do the rest of them get around? They fly Anubis air, of course. The airline will transport vampires in their coffins during the day and is heavily guarded so that they cannot be attacked. Once you have reached your destination, the discerning vampire will immediately seek out the finest in accomodations. In Dallas, The Silent Shore is a vampire-friendly hotel that even offers room service delivery of "snacks" in whatever blood type you prefer. If you have not done yourself the favor of reading Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire books, I recommend that you go to your nearest bookstore and buy them now (and be prepared to stay up late to finish them).
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Summary: An Outstanding Read! NOT to be Missed!
Review: "Living Dead in Dallas" by Charlaine Harris is the second instalment in the series that started with the superb "Dead Until Dark", and I honestly don't know which one I liked better, they are both just SO fantastic! Sookie and Bill are both wonderfully quirky and lovable characters who I just can't get enough of. The only bad thing about this book was that it had to end, and now I have to wait what seems like FOREVER for the next in the series! "Living Dead in Dallas" starts with Sookie Stackhouse, feisty telepathic waitress and girlfriend to sexy Bill the vampire, on a string of bad luck. First a friend and co-worker is murdered and then Sookie receives a painful and poisonous lashing from a beastly maenad as a message for Eric, the area's head vampire. Bill gets the injured Sookie to Eric's club in Shreveport, where he and some of his vampire friends work together to remove the poison from her body. But the thing is, Eric saved Sookie's life, so when he asks her to go to Dallas to help find a missing vampire, Sookie agrees. So, Sookie and Bill head off to Dallas where they meet with the head vampire, Stan, whose "brother" Farrell has been missing for several days. After an attempted abduction on Sookie and a few other clues that Sookie picks out of the minds of others, it becomes apparent that the "Fellowship of the Sun", a vampire hate group, is responsible for taking Farrell. But when Sookie tries to go undercover at the "Fellowship of the Sun" to find Farrell, things go terribly wrong, and she suddenly finds herself scheduled for sacrifice! After a fabulously thrilling, dangerous, and exciting adventure in Dallas, Sookie returns home to Bon Temps, where the murder of her co-worker is still a mystery. Determined to find the truth, Sookie takes matters into her own hands, and the suspense once again builds to a fever pitch and leads to a satisfying conclusion. And amidst all the fast-paced action and the thrilling adventures, is the ever-present romance between Sookie and Bill, which is, in my opinion, one of the sweetest, sexiest, most honest, and heart-warming romances I have ever encountered. Sookie and Bill are an unforgettable pair, and I look forward to watching their love grow and evolve through many, many more books! So, if you are looking for a book that has it all - humour, adventure, suspense, horror, and romance (among other things) you just can't miss with "Living Dead in Dallas". Harris' storylines are fresh, fun and fascinating, so buy both books in this amazing and inspired new series TODAY. I guarantee you will fall in love with Sookie and Bill just like I did, and become so wrapped up in their adventures that you'll have to read each book in one sitting. So do NOT miss out, "Living Dead in Dallas" comes very, very highly recommended!
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Summary: The best vampire series yet!
Review: I am a huge romance fan and a huge horror fan. I discovered Charlaine Harris' dead series quite by accident and immediately fell in love. This second book continues where the first one left off. If you have not read her first novel, be sure to read "Dead Until Dark" first and after reading this one, finish with "Club Dead." I have fallen in love with all of the characters in this series. There's Sookie, a cocktail waitress in a small southern town. Sookie is a southern girl with plenty of small time southern charm. She also has a huge heart which keeps her in trouble, especially since she just happens to be dating a vampire named Bill. Oh and one other thing Sookie can also read minds which makes her very interesting to Bill's boss and pulls her into Bill's world. This series is a definite keeper! This book and the entire series gets 5 stars.
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Summary: Avid Reader & Reviewer
Review: Our favorite cocktail waitress is back again for another adventure. Living Dead in Dallas introduces us to the various political goings on in the vampire world. Sookie and the Vampire Bill have been invited to Dallas. The Dallas Vampire's need Sookie's telepathic skills and she is drafted by Eric, the Viking vampire sheriff of Area 5 to help them. Sookie feels obligated to Eric as he has recently saved her from a very nasty creature with a venomous bit. Off to Dallas she and Bill will go. Of course things are not as they seem. With a very scary group of religious nuts and a suicidal vampire, Sookie is soon overwhelmed with all that is happening. To complicate life even more, back in Bon Temps one of Sookie's co-workers meets a grisly end. Life will never be simple for Sookie and Bill, but Sookie never expected this much action. Living Dead in Dallas is another fantastic adventure created by Charlaine Harris. From page one we are thrust into Sookie and Bill's world and the action does not slow down much at all. I loved the description of Dallas with its vampire airline and hotel. This is the kind of book you read all day and night because you are unable to put it down. Charlaine Harris is the other of three more Sookie novels; Dead Until Dark, Club Dead, and Dead to the World, to be published May, 2004. She is also the author of two popular mystery series; the Aurora Tegarden series and the Lily Bard Shakespeare series.
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Summary: Great addition to the series!
Review: This is the second book in the Southern Vampire series. What's nice is that you don't have to read the first book to know what is happening. Main character, Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in a bar with a "disability" - she can read minds. Which instead of making her some sort of comic book hero, is really a problem for her. She has a vampire boyfriend, Bill (you can't get much less goth than "Bill"). Which is what makes this series a nice difference. Ms. Harris writes about the south, with authority, her characters are interesting and funny. The book mixes my favorite genres: supernatural (vampires, etc.), a little romance (ol' Vampire Bill), mystery, and humor! Sookie's friend is killed and all indications point to a secret sex club in their town Southern town. Sookies attempt to find out who the killer is leads her to some interesting situations. Along the way she is lent to another vampire group to figure out another mystery - good sub-plot. We find out some interesting details about the people around her, which adds depth to the story. Ms. Harris tells a nice story. This is not a heavy duty vampire story dripping with gothic atmosphere (which has it's place), but a quick, fun read. I recommend it highly.
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Summary: Truly enjoyable vampire mystery/romance
Review: Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire novels (Dead Until Dark and LIving Dead in Dallas)are reminiscent of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series,(a series I thoroughly enjoy reading over and over) but Sookie, the heroine of Ms. Harris's novels is less like Anita Blake and more like Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich's bounty Hunter ( another thoroughly enjoyable and re-readable series) Anita Blake is more polished and experienced, more at ease with her supernatural abilities than Sookie. Sookie is more human and fallible, kind of a Calamity Jane, but very likable. Her budding romance with a newly arrived vampire is fraught with misunderstandings between species, but they manage to communicate very well anyway. The vampires in this series make no excuses for what they are, predators, but still have a not so nasty side, especially since they are trying to "mainstream" and live with humans. Ms Harris throws in a few shapeshifters, colorful local residents, and reprehensible villains, both human and supernatural. Prepare to sit yourself down for a wonderful read. The plots were well thought out and equally well written. I am eagerly looking forward to her the next book in this series.
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Summary: Sookie Lives On
Review: Living Dead in Dallas is a wonderful follow to Dead Until Dark! The story began quickly and never slowed down. I am especially impressed with Harris' ability to perfectly develop each character. These characters are not only believable, but they are likable ... and lovably dislikable for that matter :) Living Dead in Dallas has a perfect amount of plot, humor, action, and insight into the characters' relationships. In this series addition, we join Sookie on a murder mystery adventure to Dallas! We get a better look at vampire-to-vampire politics as well as society-to-vampire politics. This is very convincing and engaging material! I highly recommend this series to people who perhaps are not fond of the Anita Blake Series because The Southern Vampire Series is lot lighter than the AB Series. Conversely, I think you can still enjoy this series even if you are an Anita Blake fan because the difference in tone is complementary, refreshing and entertaining.
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Summary: Go, Sookie, Go!
Review: Sookie Stackhouse, a small town telepath and coctail waitress has been recruited to work for Eric, the Area 5 vampire sheriff. When he forced her to agree, she didn't realize that traveling would be manditory. This book is just as engrossing, charming and funny as "Dead Until Dark," complete with murderous religious zealots, gun fire, secrets revealed and an invitation to an [party] with her childhood friends. In the midst of all of this, Sookie has to fend off amorous attention from both Eric and Sam, her boss while trying to solve a murder and avoid an angry maenad. Laurell Hamilton has nothing on Charlaine Harris. The Dead series is what the Anita Blake series used to be. Any AB readers looking to get back to the thrill of the mystery with a few vampires and shapeshifters thrown in for good measure, should give Sookie a try.
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Summary: Good, but not as good as the first two books
Review: Charlaine Harris has a delightful off the cuff writing style that's easy to read. Sookie Stackhouse, the main character is a kookie mind reading bar waitress who's boyfriend is a vampire. They go on lots of adventures together. This book was good, but not as good as the first two of the series. You don't hear her voice in this book until the end when a Bill makes a discovery about his family. Oh, and there's a funny scene with the head vamp, Eric, where Sookie removes a bullet from his body with her teeth--it's quite funny. If you read the other two, this one's worth a look too. I wouldn't read it first though.
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Summary: Fun But Rips Off a Better Author
Review: This book was fun, and I enjoyed it, but the whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking, "This is such a rip-off of Laurell K. Hamilton. How is she getting away with this?" If you haven't read Ms. Hamilton, go read her Anita Blake books -- they're the books that this series is a pallid imitation of. If you HAVE read Ms. Hamilton, well, I guess these books will tide us over until Ms. Hamilton produces the next book in the series. But really, I'd be ashamed if I were Ms. Harris.
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