Author: Charlaine Harris
ISBN: 978-057-509703-2
RRP: $22.99
Sookie Stackhouse is back, and what adventures she finds herself having. Living Dead In Dallas returns us to the quiet little town of Bon Temps where things are not quite as sleepy as they seem. There are some things you just don’t want to know about the people around you, being a mindreading waitress in the local bar can expose you to way too much information.
Lafeyette Reynolds, the flamboyantly gay cook at Merlotte’s, is found dead in the back of police officer Andy Bellefleur’s car in the Merlotte’s parking lot in chapter one and Andy is the prime suspect. Sookie tries to do some of her unique style of detective work to get to the bottom of the issue, because Lafayette was her friend – not because of any attachment she feels for the Bellefluers.
This installment also sees Sookie on loan to the Dallas chapter of vampires because she owes Eric a favour. A situation that sees Sookie land herself in hot water again, this time rescued by a totally different species of supernatural being.
Living Dead in Dallas sees us watch Sookie become more comfortable and confident with her ability, learning how to control it and use it to her benefit – and that of the vampires. This growth brings Sookie out of herself – our naive, innocent small town heroine is learning about the world in leaps and bounds. Up until her involvement with Bill she had led quite a sheltered life in terms of her own experiences, though she had learnt a lot about life through the images in the minds of those around her.
A mindreading waitress and a 170 year old vampire is not a ‘normal’ couple by any stretch of the imagination but Harris shows us that though the couple is far from normal the trials of their relationship boil down to the very mainstream issues of jealousy and pride. They fight, they get jealous and they react in ways that parallel that of most relationships of those around all of us.
For diehard fans of the True Blood television series this book loosely corresponds with season 2. The storyline is present in the series, with some major differences and the characters fit in different places. Having said that, I think any fan of vampires in modern society will enjoy the read, the differences shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment of either medium.
Regardless of whether you have seen the TV series you will find yourself immersed in the Bon Temps life, wondering what scrapes Sookie will find herself in next. Will the relationship between Sookie and Bill last, or will the tall blond viking Eric manage to win her away?
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!