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I know Charlaine Harris is one `cause it says so on the cover of her book. Reading Living Dead in Dallas, second in the series, I find Sookie's world really is expanding quite dramatically. but when I read the Sookie Sackhouse novels I know I never will be. There's emotional expansion as simple (vampire) love becomes complex patience and caring. Whatever, she must've been pretty popular or why would they have used her books. I wish. I wish I could be a New York Times bestselling author. There's mythical expansion as Sookie is attacked by a creature from beyond the pale.
I wish I could be a New York Times bestselling author, but I can't complain. There's geographic expansion as the story moves temporarily to Dallas. As long as Charlaine Harris remains on the lists, publishers and stores will sell cheap copies of her books to keep me reading. She creates a truly intriguing and believable character with a distinctive voice, and sticks to them. And I find myself wondering, was she best-selling before or after they made the TV series. There's character expansion as potential bad guys reveal their hidden depths.
Charlaine Harris has a wonderful way with words. Then she creates a whole wide world--a strange and crazy world that simply can't be true, except it's almost real, and a world that stays so true to itself it can carry not just one book but a whole expanding series. And there's humor too, delightful, quirky, very human humor in a more-than-human world. And that's fine by me.
She manages to get into all sorts of Lois Lane type trouble, but comes out of it a stronger and wiser woman. Sookie Stackhouse is a lovable cocktail waitress that just happens to hear people's thoughts and is dating a vampire. Living Dead in Dallas, the second in the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series by Charlaine Harris is fun, quirky, and full of adventure (and 2 mysteries). We meet several new and interesting characters this time around, many of them supernatural, which greatly adds to the fun. This time around, the main action takes place in Dallas. The vampires there have "rented" Sookie for her unique ability. If I had one little complaint, it would be that, because this book takes place out of town, we don't get to see much of Sookie's boss, Sam, one of my favorite characters. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romance, mystery, or just a really fun read.
The universe of the series continues to unfold this time bringing in some clan, more like klan, that likes vampires as much as the Ku Klux Klan liked black people; and to the true fans, some surprising secrets are revealed. Harris saves the book because she proves that she really knows her characters very well.
The structure of the mystery this time is little changed, something welcomed, because sometimes series like this tend to keep doing the same plot over and over. Again Harris makes a story that's fun to read and high culture at same time.
Word of advice: if you liked the first one, just buy this one.This second installment in the Sookie Stackhouse novels, finds Sookie trying to solve two mysteries: the death of a friend and the disappearance of a vampire in Dallas.Harris keeps her great prose going on, this time more erotic, more funny and more bloody than before. One could argue that Harris is trying to get the characters established before tweaking them and this could work for the series as a whole, but undermines the potential of this particular volume as a stand-alone novel.However the faults of the book don't suck the blood out of it and the novel will leave you wanting more.
And also, as in the first novel, all the pieces get into place in this one.The only flaws I find in this one are:1) Harris tries to give us two mysteries instead of one, but in the process each mystery undermines the other. The mystery involving Sookie's friend could have been omitted since the other one is much more interesting and is the one that brings the goods to the series as a whole.2) Harris ever-growing cast of characters, could make some readers confused, but for what it seems, this is her style as she did the same in the first one.3) This time the character development is very little, in contrast to the first book.
And although character development is little, the series develops in this one. This may not be a huge step forward but it's not a step back either, it's more like a mid-step forward.
I especially liked the drama/suspense of the Dallas/Ft. I enjoyed this second book about as much as the first in the series. Worth plotline. The plot was interesting and fast-paced, and I enjoyed immersing myself into the world of Sookie Stackhouse. The author did a good job of developing her characters even more, and I enjoyed the romantic tension between Sookie, Bill, and Eric. It was a page-turner. Looking forward to the next one.
Vampire Eric was hilarious towards the end. Another fun read. This book had some really (intentionally) funny parts. Sookie still dresses badly and I still haven't figured out why she likes Bill so much and vice versa, apart from all the doin' it of course. On to book #3.
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