Bon Temps, Louisiana – Present Day

Sookie Stackhouse, waitress and friend to the furry and fanged, tries to lead a normal life. Well, as normal as a woman who can hear private thoughts as easily as tuning in a radio station can live. Right now, things are not going well. Her boyfriend Quinn, a were-tiger, hasn’t called since the two of them helped save several vampires when the hotel where the vampires were holding a convention was blown up. Quinn had been injured but was on the mend when Sookie returned to Bon Temps. Besides a missing boyfriend, it looks as if the were community is going to go to war -- and whether the community of New Orleans vampires and the rest of the paranormals are ready for it, everything is about to change, and Sookie is once again caught in the middle of it all.

Danger, bloody battles, betrayal and a battered heart await Sookie in FROM DEAD TO WORSE. Ms. Harris's rich narrative and quirky, but mostly loveable characters grab the reader and don’t let go. With a magical mix or humor, pathos, mystery and deadly peril, Charlaine Harris has created a meticulously crafted world where vampires are out of the closet and mingle with the masses, werewolves live among the human populace undetected, and witches really can turn obnoxious boyfriends into a tomcat. With a cast of fascinating characters, Ms. Harris weaves a tale that blends the best of all worlds -- romance, mystery and suspense -- and delivers it with humor and heart.

This is one of my favorite Southern Vampire Novels, and probably the first one that has left me a bit melancholy at the end. There a many surprises in store for the reader, some good, some tragic -- but no one who enjoys Sookie and her menagerie of “other” friends will walk away disappointed. A spectacular read and one I highly recommend. Don’t miss this wonderful gem of a novel.

Terrie Figueroa