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Summary: A Southern Vampire Mystery with a humorous bite...
Review: Fast paced and funny, this charming vampire tale is a refreshing read. The author has quite a wonderful take on contemporary vampire fiction and makes a point of weaving a murder mystery into a genre that usually is all horror. Her characters are marvelously entertaining in their own right, but it is the fast moving plot that carries the reader through this romp-by-the-swamp in contemporary Louisiana. Even Anne Rice gets a bit of a poke from the author, and I hope she writes more books in this vein.
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Summary: A great new vampire series(I hope)
Review: Picture a world where vampires are just another minority group. They have jobs, houses, and interact with the general population, not just in the usual Dracula way. Sookie has always wanted to meet one. She has an unusual "disability" and is very interested in things that are out of the ordinary. One evening a vampire walks into the cocktail bar where she works and she is very interested and curious. She saves his "life" one night, and soon after they become involved. One problem, someone seems to be killing women who are involved with vampires, and the police seem to suspect her brother.This novel has a little bit of everything, humor, horror, romance, suspense, and mystery. Hopefully, there will be a sequel soon.
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Summary: Laurell K Hamilton, Look Out
Review: This is a delectable book with humor, romance and horror. It is authentically located in Louisiana and from friends I have from near this area it picks up the flavor of this very distictive area. The characters grow as the book developes and leave's me hungry for a sequel or a series. It was pointed out to me that the heroine is just an average woman, a waitress, that developes with wisdom and sensuality as the book goes on. I cannot recommend this book highly enough..
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Summary: A vampire novel with fang-in-cheek humor
Review: Charlaine Harris writes a remarkably entertaining mystery that shows Louisiana as a hot bed of people with "gifts" of many sorts. Sookie the telepathic cocktail-waitress; her boyfriend Bill the Vampire; and Sookie's boss Sam who has quite a surprise of his own! When a young woman turns up strangled, and fang marks shows that she had been fed upon in the not so distant pass, suspicions abound in the tiny town of Bon Temps. And when another victim is found murdered with a similar MO, the long arm of the law starts to rech out towards Sookie's brother who apparently has been having "relations" with both. Plot twists abound, and the characterizations are wonderful. A fun read that I can highly recommend.
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Summary: hilarious great vampire mystery
Review: This was a hilarious book. I was drawn in after reading the first sentence and didn't put it down till the end. I hope she comes out w/ a sequel!
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Summary: Dead On
Review: If you already like Charlaine Harris' other books, then you'll have a good time with this one as well. The characters all have quirks, the vampire stuff is dark without losing a sense of humor, the dialogue and characterizations draw you in. Have a fun read . . .
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Summary: Fabulous Crossover Novel - a Winner!
Review: Charlaine Harris never fails to produce some of the best writing in mystery fiction today - even when creating a entire new set of characters and even a new world. Although it's often hard to blend the contemporary "real" world realistically with myth and legend, DEAD UNTIL DARK successfully crosses that bridge and makes its own rules. All the characters leave a lasting impression, and I certainly hope that this is the first of a very long series.
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Summary: Yummy, just like southern pecan pie
Review: Charlaine Harris has captured the small town atmosphere perfectly with her cast of characters. Everyone knows everyone else's business and if it's too brutal or out of the ordinary, you do the polite thing and ignore it. This is a marvelous fun read with romance, mystery and danger popping up on every page. Some of the ideas in the book are predictable but the character studies and relationships are what really carry the book. The introspection of the main character with her 'disability' of being psychic and her growing confidence throughout the book in her abilities and herself as she gains her first boyfriend and then realizes that he's not the only man that is interested in her is a fine psychological study of what a lot of people go through. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what other adventures and discoveries await Sookie and her town.
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Summary: A Kinder Gentler Vampire Love Story
Review: Well, I read this book because of a reviewer who'd supported my positive review of a Laurell K hamilton Story. It wasn't as good as promised but entertaining. If you've read "Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" novels this story will seem very familiar in the way it plays out. Sookie Stackhouse, virgin telepathic barmaid, falls in love with a boring 150+ year old vamp named Bill, despite his kooky vampire friends who seem to want to kill her constantly and without reason. At the same time women in town are being strangled to death with old vampire makrs proving they're "fang bangers"- Vamp lovers. Sookie is most likely next and that seems prooved when her grandmother is strangled to death. Her brother is a suspect and things seem to be falling apart as people believe it's either Jason, the brother, or Bill the lover. Well, this novel has promise. I have yet to read the following ones but I will and I hope they're better. Bill is 2 dimensional, he always disappears whenever any action goes on and he has no emotions whatsoever. Sookie in contrast is hot headed and acts without thought. She's kind of selfish and self involved and every man in town is in love with her. That reminded me of Anita Blake and why on earth must these women in these novels be the subject of such blind adoration from man, vamp, and shapeshifter alike? Give me a break. Her grandmother's death is convenient, I think it's because Ms. Harris had no further use for the character, and no one seems to really grieve the woman. The writing seems hurried and more often than not the secondary characters in town are more interesting than the main players. However, it's a good premise and shows promise. I really found it impossible to like Bill and see no reason to explain why a vampire lover is better thna a human. And his relationship with Sookie is kind of sad, she's very childish and impatient with him and he's a bit of a jerk. At least Ms. Harris comes up with a thoroughly more plausible explanation for the heroine's seeming invincibility than Ms. Hamilton does with her heroine, but she makes it hard for us to love Sookie. I do reccommend this to anyone who thinks Anita Blake books are getting too silly what with Anita sleeping around so much and denying her lovers freedom. I'd also recommend it if vampire romances in general make you roll your eyes, this one is so much better thought out and interesting than those. However, if you're new to the genre start out with Sherrilyn Kenyon and the first few Laurell K hamilton books before trying Ms. Harris. You'll appreciate this book's refreshing viewpoint much more that way.
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Summary: Don't be fooled by the artwork or the back cover
Review: I originally bought this book used in a lot set of books I bought as a group. The artwork on the front, which seems a bit fun yet drawn for someone of a 'younger than adult age' along with the back cover which describes the book's plot as something it is not you can find yourself being a bit mislead at first notice of this book. However inside is something completely more than you can possibly expect.
The world has changed and vampires are now legally accepted and noticed as simply being people who 'have a virus'. So a simple mind reading waitress decides she doesn't have problem with dating a vampire. After all, he is the only man she's met who's thoughts she can not hear. A serial murder starts killing women around town and at first it looks like a vampire is doing it. She becomes very protective of her vampire boyfriend, and he of her when a vampire elder decides he wants her for himself.
The twists and turns continue and this book can easily keep you glued to it in one sitting. I'm so glad there are sequels to keep the story going!
I must say this story really reminded me of Nicci French's books. Quite often I 'got the shivers' while I read wide-eyed and turned to the next page.
This book is definitely on my recommendation list.
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