The second novel in the Sookie Stackhouse series, we follow Sookie as she is thrust deeper into the realm of the supernatural, determined to keep her head afloat.

After a run in with a maenad looking for a tribute, Sookie is "loaned out" to the State of Dallas to help solve the mystery of the missing vampire, Farrell, using her special skills. Sookie is obligated to comply, however, once there, Sookie is baited into fulfilling her job and more. Her search takes her unexpectedly to the Fellowship of the Sun; a religion convinced that all vampires are damned and willing to do anything to eradicate them from the planet.

But the mystery of Farrell's disappearance isn't the only crime Sookie is forced to deal with. Lafayette, the gay cook at Merlotte's, is dead. Dead, naked and dumped in the truck of detective Andy Bellfleur. Being the main suspect is hard for Andy and pretty soon Andy's only company is his bourbon. Willing to do anything to clear his name, he appeals to Sookie, convinced that she should use her gifts to help him, despite the animosity he and his family have shown her over the years. This crime also takes Sookie to places she'd rather not visit, in the form of a secret orgy club containing members that Sookie would rather not think about wearing anything less than their Sunday best.

In a quest to solve both cases, Sookie encounters more of the underground supernatural world, more than she cares to encounter. Some rather strange being are introduced, including werewolves, were-other-animals, and a vampire with a conscience.

Can Sookie solve both mysteries without causing too much bloodshed? And more importantly, can she solve them without getting herself killed in the process?

Whilst steamy sex is definitely present in this novel (possibly steamier than in Dead Until Dark), Sookie's love life takes a back seat, the novel instead crossing over into the fantasy genre and concentrating more on the crimes Sookie has to solve. Whilst most the reviews I've read claim that the novel's downfall is its weak ending (I have no qualms with it, but that may be because I don't really think of it as an ending when the next novel continues with the story,) my major complaint with the novel would be with the layout. Harris seems to lack the skills necessary to weave plots together, instead choosing to lay the story out like this:
Human-related-plotline-part-1 -----> Complete-vampire-related-plotline -----> Human-related-plotline-part-2
It's as though she's written two separate stories and then instead of flicking back and forth, like you'd find in most novels (though I admit it must be hard when writing in first person), she just stick one storyline in the centre of the other one.

My Verdict
Despite my rant earlier, I still enjoyed this novel (It made up for its bad points by the increased presence of Eric) and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Dead Until Dark, or thought the first novel needed more action.
8/10

Labels: Living Dead in Dallas