Dead as a Doornail

Starred review from April 4, 2005
Harris's rousing fifth Sookie Stackhouse fantasy-mystery (after 2004's Dead to the World
) pits vampires, were-creatures, shifters and one fairy godmother against a sniper with an apparent aversion to nonhumans. If trying to discover who's behind the shootings isn't enough, the telepathic cocktail waitress from Bon Temps, La., has to cope with a few other distractions: her sexy "Were" friend, Alcide Herveaux, needs her help in his father's bid to become the next leader of the local werewolf pack; her boss, Sam Merlotte (a collie in his spare time), gets shot; her house partly burns down; and what's she to do about the handsome vampire bartender who dresses as a pirate at Sam's place? Between one mishap and another, Sookie is one busy gal. Harris does an admirable job of creating a heroine who's not only interesting but completely believable in a world of the strange and the different. Natural and humorous dialogue and a nicely paced plot that doesn't dwell so much on Sookie's old boyfriends help make this entry the best yet in the series. Agent, Joshua Bilmes at Jabberwocky. 10-city author tour. (May 3)

FYI:
Harris is also the author of the Aurora Teagarden (
Real Murders) and the Lily Bard (
Shakespeare's Landlord) mystery series.

As a telepath, Sookie Stackhouse has always led a strange life in her Louisiana town. Can Sookie solve a murder mystery and clarify her feelings for the various supernatural men in her life who make her heart race? Even though Johanna Parker reads without much of a Southern accent, she gives characters rural, threatening, or intriguing inflections as needed and conveys Sookie as a strong but conflicted heroine. Parker also provides masculinity for the male characters, making for a well-rounded performance. Listeners will be drawn to seek out the previous three novels. J.M.S. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine