Rating: 
Summary: 4.5 out of 5, better than the first!
Review: (...)I thought Ms. Harris had lots of potential. In this book I really feel she's living up to it!It's great. Sookie gets loaned out to Dallas vamps to find a member of a vampire nest that's gone missing. She goes with her boyfriend dull vamp Bill and Bill's boss Eric who's incognito. She uses her telepathy to find out the missing vamp has been taken by a cult out to kill all vampires. She and a fellow human-in-love-with-a-vamp try to spring him and it gets messy. They meet a suicidal pedophilic vampire, a huge shapeshifter community, and honest-to-goodness werewolves. It's really similar to Anita Blake, minus the Dirty Harry atitude. In this novel Sookie is so much more real than the first story. Sadly, Bill is once again dull (what does she see in him? he so irritates me) and he's ALWAYS missing when there's action going on. Once again as I read this I have to wonder what makes vamps better lovers than humans? We get no real explanation at it, so be ready to suspend your disbelief. This one made me laugh and had some sad parts. Not nearly as erotic as the first, but we see Sookie growing more to understand her own sexuality by bits and pieces. I think this is a big improvement over the first and it shows not only Sookie growing but Ms. Harris as well. I've read the next one and the series just gets better with every book. I'm recommending this to all my friends and I would to anybody who's ever enjoyed a vampire book or movie in their life. It's great!
Rating:
Summary: A well done follow-up
Review: Not only does Charlaine Harris give another good mystery yarn with her sequel but she effortlessly increases your knowledge of the main characters introduced in 'Dead Until Dark' and introduces additional characters in the periphery that you just know are going to show up again. The characterizations are deepened and expanded upon while the 2, or is it 3, mystery subplots are resolved. As so often happens, when things start happening in your life events can get complicated as Sookie, our heroine, finds out. Trying to come to terms with her vampire boyfriend, Bill, isn't helped by other supernatural beings standing in line to show her their appreciation also. And associating with supernatural beings, that have a hierarchy akin to the mob, can drag you right into the middle of touchy political agendas when you least expect it. Friends in unexpected places and her own determination had seen Sookie through her first adventure, will the same pattern hold for her deep in the heart of Texas? This is a fast, fun read, really well done escapist literature. Good characters, fast action and a plot line that curves back on itself just as you think you're getting lost. Pick this one up.
Rating:
Summary: Could your week get any worse than finding a dead friend...
Review: in a cop car's trunk?
"Living Dead in Dallas" heroine Sookie Stackhouse didn't think so until Eric summoned her and her boyfriend, Vampire Bill, to Shreveport. He's committed the two of them to investigate disappearing vampires in Dallas, TX.
Though vampires are now legal and many feeding on synthetic blood, Sookie quickly discovers that not everyone approves. "The Fellowship of the SUn" wants the vamps and Sookie dead.
"Dead in Dallas" is my least favorite of the "Southern Vampire" series. It's still fast paced, suspenseful and witty. I highly recommend the whole series.
Rating:
Summary: She's Back!!
Review: Sookie Stackhouse, the attractive, telepathic barmaid from Bon Temps, LA, is back in "Living Dead In Dallas," Book 2 of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series. Sookie's heretofore lonely life as a single is no more. She is in love and the feeling is reciprocated. Folks in her backwater northern Louisiana town always treated her as if she had a disability. They made her feel ashamed of her "gift," the ability to read other people's minds. What were they thinking?? The major disadvantages to her telepathy are her inability to keep the voices at bay, even though she has learned to shield herself somewhat. She had also been unable to have a relationship until recently. How can you fall in love when you know everything your boyfriend is thinking? Boyfriend Bill is just what she needed...almost. Tall, dark and very handsome, albeit very pale, Bill Compton is a vampire who lived, and died, during the Civil War. Sookie had always wanted to meet a vampire, since vampirism became legal a few years before the novel begins. I don't think she envisioned herself coming home to one at night though. The two met in Merlotte's Bar, while she was working. She served him bottled synthesized Type O Positive, and it was love at first sight. (Did you think I'd actually write, 'love at 1st bite?'). There is another important element in the couple's relationship - one which definitely makes for success. Sookie cannot hear Bill's thoughts, which he thoughtfully blocks from her. Peace and quiet at last!
Bill is doing his best to assimilate into the general human population. He dines on bottled blood rather than hunt, and is making human friends in Bon Temps, especially among the town's Descendants of the Glorious Dead Society. After all, he is a war vet. He even involves himself with the local vampire self-governing body in Shreveport, to gain their protection for Sookie and himself. Bill has been made Vampire Investigator of Area 5 - their general neighborhood. In the politically complex vampire society, Sookie, as Bill's girlfriend, is now obligated to utilize her telepathic powers for Area 5 Nest's purposes.
One early morning, while she is on day shift, Sookie finds a dead friend's body in a cop car outside of Merlotte's. A few evenings later, on the way to Shreveport with Bill, she is attacked and almost killed by a murderous Maenad accompanied by a feral razorback. Bill rushes her to the Fangtasia, a vampire bar, owned by Eric, Master Vampire and kingpin of the local power structure. Sookie has been poisoned by the Maenad and is dying. The only way to save her is to drain her blood and replace it with a human-blood transfusion. Eric and his gang happily suck out the bad blood and inject the new. Eric then expects Sookie and Bill to do a job for him, quid pro quo. It seems that the vampires of Area 6, (Dallas), have a problem they are unable to resolve on their own. One of their number has gone missing, and the Dallas leader thinks a fanatic cult, a quasi-religious group of vampire haters, The Fellowship of the Sun Center, might have kidnapped him. Eric wants to loan Sookie to the Dallas vampires as a consultant. They could use her telepathic gifts about now. Sookie does not relish the idea, and refuses to travel without Bill. So it's plane tickets to Dallas for two - Sookie's first flight, and a suite at the luxurious Silent Shore Hotel, which caters to the undead - coffin space in the cellar and everything!
The story turns into a roller-coaster ride of an adventure from this point, with one surprise after another and much action of the preternatural sort. Sookie is almost kidnapped from the moment she steps off the plane - and that is only the beginning. She also discovers and interacts with supernatural beings she had thought only mythical...and some of these critters are downright nasty.
"Living Dead In Dallas" is plotted like a mystery novel, in spite of the other-worldly elements. There's a corpse. Then there's a missing undead person. Lots of investigation takes place, along with too many mishaps and adventures to count. And finally, almost all is pulled together and resolved. Sookie's development as a person takes center stage in the storyline, along with the development of her relationship with Bill. And it looks like sexy Master Eric is going to play a greater role in future novels. Yummy!
Author Charlaine Harris's writing is excellent, as is her sense of humor. There are few unnecessary elements or ploys here. The characters are wonderful and well developed. Sookie Stockhouse is a real sweetie, though somewhat naive. She is a smalltown gal, after all. However, she is growing fast and I look forward to watching her develop. Her adventures are dark, but her self-deprecating manner helps to lighten things up. Unlike some, I preferred "Dead Until Dark," Book One to this one. The writing seemed tighter and the pace was more consistent. This is not as much of a page-turner. Don't get me wrong though. It is just the difference between a 4 and 5 stars rating. I enjoyed the novel - and if you like Sookie, you will also.
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Mystery, Romance & The Supernatural! 4.5 STARS
Review: Living Dead in Dalls is the second book in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series. It takes off where Dead Until Dark left off. I loved it!!
Sookie Stackhouse has been blessed or cursed (some would say) with telepathy . She can read minds at will so most people are leery of her. In addition to her gift, her boyfriend, Bill, isn't your ordinary man. He is undead - a vampire.
A co-worker of hers is murdered found dead in a detective's car. Who put him there & more importantly who killed him? On top of that, Sookie is viciously attacked one night by a maenad, a horrible creature that demands tribute from the local vampires. Bill & some of the other vampires draw the poison out of her. They save her life & she owes them. They want Sookie to help find a missing vampire. So Bill & Sookie are off to Dallas.
Book #2 is a roller coaster of a ride. From the first page, the reader is drawn into Sookie world where vampires, shapeshifters & other supernatural creatures are larger than life. They finally solve the mystery of her co-worker's death and have one final encounter with the maenad. I could not put this book down!
I eagerly wait to read more about the Viking vampire sheriff, Eric. He lusts after Sookie. He is patient, confident & extremely sexy. Lucky Sookie. :)
Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Even better than the 1st......
Review: "Living Dead in Dallas" was a fantastic read. At this point, I am DEEPLY wrapped up in the lives of Miss Sookie and her Vampire friends. I have to say, I adore Bill, but OMG... I am LOVING, LOVING, LOVING Eric. Truly, I am.
Charlaine Harris has such a clever writing style and some of the dialogue(Sookie's especially)is just so surprising and funny.
I can say for sure that the moment I finish with this review that I am diving into the next installment...how could I not? These books are just so fun! "Living Dead In Dallas" is another keeper for sure. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: I'm loving this series!
Review: Having read and loved Dead Until Dark, I decided to continue reading this series. I love it thus far. This vampire series set in rural Louisiana is full of action, romantica and humor. Living Dead in Dallas is another adventure starring Sookie Stackhouse and her undead boyfriend Bill. Sookie seems to have found some normalcy. The hometown folk are still shaken by her telepathic abilities, not to mention her bloodsucking significant other, but she has begun to deal with the criticism by defending herself and her relationship with Bill. So, things have been fairly peaceful for a while. That is until she is attacked by a supernatural creature seeking tribute from the local vamps. The vampires are more than happy to save Sookie's life (after all, it involves drinking her blood), but in return she has to help them find a kidnapped vampire. So she travels to Dallas to use her mind-reading "disability" to full advantage. To make matters worse, a co-worker of Sookie's is found dead inside a policeman's car, an anti-vampire organization is out to get Bill's friends, and it appears that Bill's master Eric has a thing for Sookie. There are various twists throughout the novel.
Charlaine Harris has once again written a rather entertaining novel. The characters and situations are a fun treat. And I like the intelligent and realistic portrayal of southern life. The characters have become all the more compelling in this installment. I love Bill, but I've begun to like Eric a lot. Not only does he sound delicious, his flirtatious ways make me laugh. I'd like to read more on him in future books. Also, Sookie Stackhouse is a great heroine. I see that she is often compared with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake. Anita is a tough and independent heroine, whereas Sookie, in my opinion, is independent too, but far more grounded. She is not gun crazy and self-sufficient like Anita, but she is also not high maintenance like the aforementioned character either. Anyway, I think Sookie is quite a compelling character in her own right. And the romantica here is excellent. The scenes between Sookie and Bill are very sexy. All in all, Living Dead in Dallas is another awesome Southern Vampire novel. I look forward to reading the other two. In the meantime, I highly recommend this one. Though I suggest you start with Dead Until Dark.
Rating:
Summary: Second Has A Better Bite
Review: I enjoyed this second "Southern Vampire Novel" more than the first. I think it's because I was now familiar with the down home narration of Sookie Stackhouse, and the characters are really beginning to grow in interesting directions, particularly Vampire Eric. Comparisons have been made to Anne Rice for the obvious reason, but the heroine of this series comes across more like a sassy Southern version of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone, than any of the tourtured souls in the Anne Rice world.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed marshmallow fluff
Review: In this second installment of the "Southern Vampire" series, Sookie discovers there are many other supernatural beings besides vampires. Well, she already knew of one such, close to home, but she thought he was an anomaly. Wrong!
The story: Our intrepid heroine takes her first plane trip to Dallas to fulfill an obligation to Eric, the regional head honcho vampire, who needs to fulfill an obligation to the head honcho vampire of Dallas. (Love those vampire politics.) Bill, her vampire boyfriend accompanies her. As a result of their investigation into the disappearance of another vampire, they wind up entangled with a reactionary religious organization known as the Fellowship Of The Sun, which is dedicated to the extermination of vampires. Shapeshifters and another telepath have supporting roles in the events that occur.
Charlaine Harris further develops her mythology here, although I noted a major inconsistency from volume I, Dead Until Dark. In the first book, Harris stated the vampires had "come out of the coffin" four years previously. In this one, she said it was two years. Maybe I'm just picky, but there's a big difference between the two time frames. Two years seems like barely enough time for humans to have become relatively accustomed to the existence of vampires, much less to have made the kind of accommodations (special hotels, airlines and other services) prominently featured in this novel.
Also in this novel, I notice the potential beginnings of a romantic triangle, or perhaps even a quadrangle. Shades of Laurell K. Hamilton. [shudder]
An utterly predictable marshmallow fluff of a novel. Enjoyable despite its flaws.
Rating:
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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