Dead As a Doornail

I've loved Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series since I read Dead Until Dark last year. Living Dead in Dallas is perhaps my favorite. I was looking forward to the latest in the series, Dead As a Doornail, but was a little disappointed: 3.5 out of 5.

The story starts with Sookie's brother experiencing a significant change in his life. At the same time, someone is shooting shapeshifters. When one of Sookie's friends is injured and her brother is suspected, Sookie tries to find out who is behind the attacks.

As I was reading, the main thing that struck me is that Dead As a Doornail feels like a transitional book. So many things are left in the air after the previous book, Dead to the World, that the feeling of transition isn't surprising. The thread involving Jason plays out as I expected; the ones involving Eric and Alcide surprised me. I was also intrigued by cameo appearances of two of Harris's other characters. Interesting stuff.

Sookie seems different in this installment, too. The best word I can think of to describe her is sullen. When I read the fifth Harry Potter book, I enjoyed it but was frustrated by Harry's petulant attitude. Although Sookie isn't petulant, I had similar feelings about her in Dead As a Doornail. In both books, I understood why the characters felt the way they did. But it went on too long.

When I read mysteries, I'm usually more focused on the characters and the romance than I am on the mystery. I've enjoyed the mysteries in Harris's previous books, however. In this case, the mystery doesn't pick up until the second half of the story. There is a surprising lack of urgency in the beginning. I also guessed the villain, which I don't usually do with Harris's books.

Having said all this, there are a number of things I enjoy about Dead As a Doornail. As I mentioned, certain developments with Eric and Alcide make me curious about where those relationships will go in the future. One particular discussion with Eric is fascinating. (I am an Eric junkie, though, so take that with a grain of salt.) There is a lot of interaction between characters in this book. I liked learning more about Claudine; she plays an interesting role in the book.

Although Dead As a Doornail is weaker than the other books in the series, I still enjoyed reading it. Only 11 months until the next installment. ::Sigh.::

Alyssa