Dead Until Dark: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #1

Jana L.Perskie

Vampires - Down Home Southern Style! Great Fun!!

"Sookie Stackhouse is an attractive, telepathic barmaid from Bon Temps, a small backwater town in northern Louisiana. She has always been ashamed of her "gift," the ability to read other people's minds, because other people have always treated her as if she had a disability. What were they thinking?? The major disadvantages to her telepathy are Sookie's inability to keep the voices at bay, even though she has learned to shield herself somewhat. She has also been unable to have a relationship. How can you fall in love when you know everything your boyfriend is thinking? All in all, however, she has lead a quiet, ordinary life with her grandmother and brother Jason. The siblings were orphaned at an early age. Sookie's life is about to become exotic, Bigtime! She has always wanted to meet a vampire, since vampirism became legal a few years before the novel begins. Most vampires stick to themselves and feed without killing humans. They drink bottled synthetic blood with human supplements in limited amounts. Some even attempt to assimilate into the general population. Occasionally there are "unfortunate incidents," a euphemism for the bloody slaying of a human, but that would mean a stake through the heart for the undead perpetrator. There are also humans who exploit vampires by draining their blood to sell on the black market, or by finding ways to use their supernatural powers for their nefarious human purposes. This vampire exploitation figures mightily in the plot. Anyway, back to the new excitement in our heroine's life. Sookie is overjoyed. (her words not mine), to discover a vampire at one of her tables in Merlotte's Bar - a tall, dark and very handsome one, if unfortunately pale. When asked his name, he replies, "Bill." Sookie exclaims, "The vampire Bill! I thought it might be Antoine, or Basil, or Langford! Bill!" Just plain Bill is in town because he inherited a piece of land, and wants to make his home in Bon Temps and live as normal a life as possible, under his circumstances. He was alive to fight for the Confederate cause, which gives him a major "in" with the town's Descendants of the Glorious Dead Society. He is immediately attracted to the very appealing Sookie, with her all American girl looks and sweet innocence, as opposed to the more skanky women he meets in vampire society, the "fang-bangers" or vamp groupies. Sookie is not able to read Bill's thoughts, so there is blessed quiet when they are together. And they fall in love. Bill's arrival in Bon Temps coincides with the murders of several young women, all bar maids known to hang-out with vampires. These gruesome murders have a major impact on Sookie and on her relationship with Bill. I might add that the mystery is a tough one to figure out, for a change. I like to be stumped! Author Charlaine Harris's "Dead Until Dark," is a terrific romantic suspense novel - and very refreshing. The writing is excellent, as is the humor and plot. There are no unnecessary elements or ploys here. The characters are wonderful and well developed. I really like the Anita Blake Vampire series by Laurell K. Hamilton and was ambivalent about beginning Ms. Harris' Southern Vampire series. How different could the characters and plots be from each other?? Very Different!! Anita Blake is a dark, cynical lady with a darker sense of humor, (and I love her for it)! She's a big city gal. The folks/creatures who surround her, the scrapes she gets into, and out of, are of a more sophisticated nature. Sookie Stockhouse is a real sweetie, though somewhat naive, living in a small town with Louisiana Cajun ambiance. Her adventures are dark also, but there is more romance here and a lighter comedic touch. "Dead Until Dark" is Book One in the series. I had so much fun with this novel, I plan to read the others. ENJOY!! JANA ["

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January 4, 2005 Verified Purchase

R. L. Smith

the south riseth again, and Miss Sookie monitors the ghosts

"I read a lot of "big" books, you know, Russian dudes and Papa H. and such. But I decided I enjoyed "True Blood" enough, I wanted to check out from whence it came--Ms. Harris' first book of the series. Lemme tell you, folks, one thing Ms. Harris is a master (mistress?) at telling bunches of story with few words, and that, dear readers is a rarity! She doesn't waste your time, yet at the same time, she makes a thoroughly delightful, tongue in cheek visit to the deep south I know so well. And she shows us real people, working class folks as our heroes taking on the forces of darkness with pluck, honesty, and honor. I have known Sookies and Jasons, and their simple and direct approach to life and its problems. Want inspiration? Don't go to the winners of a civil war. Life holds fewer illusion for them, so... Ms. Harris very deftly plays this down-to-earth south against the very unearthly vampires and other critters d'jour. These folks are rooted and won't move from the very soil the vampires inhabit. No way, Jose. Take Miss Sookie, our heroine and sex pot (and mind reader)-- she literally stands nose to nose with the baddest of the supernatural, and she shames them, blames them, puts them in their place and makes them sit down and SHUT UP! Oh, how I love this gal. I really do (and not just because she's a hot little cookie, god bless her filly tail). It's because I KNOW that woman. I have seen her in so many women down south who hold it all together. This is the antithesis of Anne Rice's more florid and high-class N'awlins This is butter beans and pick-ups and women who work hard but are feminine as they come, all of them with long hair, because a southern gal is proud to be a woman, and she knows that long hair and wicked flirtation is a joy. Political correctness does not dominate their world, thank goodness! A man or woman can still approach someone they know and say, "Darlin', you sho' nuff look fine tonight.", and not risk a tongue lashing. I miss that. I really do. I miss the Sookie's and the Jason's and the Lafayette's of my dearly departed-from south. Oh, and by the way.... the black folk in Ms. Harris' book are not caricatures of the down-trodden or shuck and jive artists. They are as we all are, varied as the human spectrum, AND there are many white folk and darker complexted folk who get along just fine, thank you. We never hear about that, but I guarantee you, country folk of all colors know each other more than our prejudice believes. I moved back to the Midwest, and it's been a beautiful place to raise my family, but reading this book actually brings tears as well as terror to my heart... oh, Lord, miss Sookie's brave heart. And if I had showed up in that County, I am sure I would have been tagged "Big Steve" because when you are a big'n, six eight and 350 pounds, everyone slaps that "handle" on you! White country and black country all did the same-they weaved their language like poetry, raw and beautiful and funnier than you can ever imagine. So, now, I bow to you Ms. Harris, and I know where you are come'n from, my dear. So folks, read her books not only because she spings a whopping good yarn, but if you do not know the south, you will know one hell of a lot more, because the bravery, innate intelligence, bluster and compassion are worn on the sleeve. Buy this book, oh ye of little faith left in humanity. No fairy castles or wasp-waisted cartoon characters. Just a good old gal, Sookie, as decent and kind a soul as you'll ever meet, takes on a world of hurt, and comes up smiling. Now THERE'S one sexy lady, and she sweats, juts her jaw and never backs off an inch. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the south I know. And the monsters are there, too... not vampires, but just as deadly--our fellow human beings. ["

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December 1, 2010 Verified Purchase

MmmCookies

The people who gave this book a bad review...

"..obviously never read the Twilight series. This book may not be written that well, but it's a young adult series, and certainly written with more skill than Twilight. Judging by the grammar and spelling of the reviewers, they wouldn't be educated enough to read something more difficult anyway. In fact, the book was written better than it should have been considering an uneducated telepath is narrating. I really loved the beginning of this book. It just jumped right in - Sookie meets Bill, the reader finds out she's a telepath, trouble ensues - No arduous descriptions, drawn out details about every little emotion or look, just the basics. It is easy to envision what the characters look like and their personality types. I hate when authors describe every painstaking detail of a character's outfit, appearance, etc. There is no unnecessary filler for each situation; Mrs. Harris gets right to the point. She merely mentions that Sookie can read minds in passing, as if it is no big deal. This book is very eventful. I can't think of any dull moments to be honest. Even Sookie's moments of contemplation can be very interesting. There are a few discrepancies, but nothing major. For example, Jason and Rene are the same age (late 20s I think) but Rene is graying, has been married and divorced to Arlene, and she's had two other husbands and children since... many details make him sound much older than his given age. She thinks everyone treats her like a crazy person, but for the most part, everyone seems very polite to her at the least. Little things like that sound weird, but maybe because I have read most of these three times now. Each book coincides with that season of the show, but there are enough differences to make both enjoyable without one spoiling the other. I preferred the show in some aspects, but I think the book series is a little better. I think the one thing I liked the least about the books is that they are written from Sookie's perspective, so the other characters aren't very involved. I was also disappointed that Tara was not in this book, as she was one of my favorite characters in the beginning of True Blood, Her lack of presence in the book makes Sookie seem so isolated and friendless. Lafayette is hardly mentioned in the book, but I love how the HBO writers changed his character. ["

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June 21, 2011 Verified Purchase

Marilyn & Nate

Great book- small font

"Fun and easy read- love this series The print is really small though so be warned ["

May 10, 2026 Verified Purchase

Cowgirl In the Sand

This is as good as the series is going to get; Harlequin Romance with Vampires

"Be forewarned. Are you bored to death and/or looking for reading that absolutely will not compel you to stop at any given moment? Try a Sookie Stackhouse novel. Are you wanting an escape from reading things that are literary or compelling? Have you been reading mysteries that actually require that you remember what happened in earlier chapters? Then, this book may be for you. Naturally, if you're a True Blood fan, as I am, you'll read it for that reason. You will be so glad that a different creative team brought the novel to the screen and that so many things were changed. The book is written for ease of reading and certainly can't be written much above the 12th grade level. That's cool. We all need a little easy reading once in awhile. And vampires are always interesting, right? The character of Sookie in the novel is interesting for the first book, sort of. None of the other characters are fleshed out because...it is all about Sookie and Sookie, despite her mind reading trait, is not exactly perceptive. In fact, she often tells us that she avoids further conversation with someone or peeking into their mind because she needs to get back home and sweep the floor or whatever. She constantly has excuses, despite her perilous existence, for why she is not at all interested in asking more questions. So, unlike her Grandmother, Sookie can meet a 100 year old vampire who fought in the Civil War and be not at all interested, even one little bit, in his former life, the war or anything that shaped him. Heck, she's so interested in her own sexual responses (to every male in the book, apparently) that little else enters her consciousness. Sookie has a Code, though. The Code of Sookie. The inaneness of the Code of Sookie in this modern age (it sounds more like the code of people born circa 1950) is one reason I gave it 3 stars. Apparently, this Code will never disappear and it will be embraced by an entire new generation of mostly female readers. Yay, Sookie. The Code is: I really need a Boyfriend. I really like sex, though I know it's naughty. And my boyfriend better not ever cheat on me. The end. Naturally, since all of Sookie's boyfriends are bad risks, this Code means that she shuts off nearly every relationship to any form of...well, we can't even say "intimacy" as such an advanced concept never enters Sookie's head. One thing is certain, the two Stackhouse youngsters (Jason and Sookie) are no rocket scientists, and while Sookie is highly critical of her brother's apparently dull nature, she does not impress me as being very far up on the intellectual ladder, herself. It's odd, therefore, to learn that she has a Word-A-Day calendar (that's a device to permit the author to allow Sookie to use words that otherwise would be incongruous - such as Sookie saying "incongruous.") This literary equivalent of slumming has its uses, though. I read it in the middle of the night when I was trying to get off sleep medications and it worked very well. So I recommend it highly as that sort of thing, and I'm not trying to be sarcastic there. Sometimes you just need something like this. Unfortunately, as others have noted, as the series goes on...the parts where you laugh at loud at Sookie's silly take on things get shorter and then non-existent and even the events are repetitive. Sookie attempting to slog through her other romances, after Bill, is a nightmare of missed connections, paying more attention to what people are wearing even when dire circumstances (you'd think) would dictate a different approach, and so on. Harlequin romance with vampires, but with no change of heroine. ["

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February 21, 2014 Verified Purchase