Mystery and Thriller

Review of Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

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Dead and Gone
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 9
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 320

Date Started: January 21, 2016
Date Finished: January 22, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)dead-and-gone-ch
When the weres and shifters finally come out, the residents of Bon Temps, Louisiana, must deal with the violent aftermath. But a far greater danger threatens. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too human pawn in their battle…

Review:
Ah, back to the usual swing of a Sookie Stackhouse novel! While not quite back up to par, this novel was far better than the last one, and I hope that the next will bring it back up to the level the previous books were at.

This novel had a mystery within a mystery which was quite stellar. There were some vampire tricks, and a few Were situations. All in all, this was a great story.

This story does a lot behind the scenes, and a lot of time is spent being introduced to concepts just to have them dashed away in very close succession to the reveal. There was a lot of things that didn’t necessarily need to be added, though I believe they will likely be pivotal in the next novel.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

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From Dead to Worse
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 8
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 321

Date Started: January 21, 2016
Date Finished: January 21, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)from_dead_to_worse
After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the manmade explosion at the vampire summit, everyone—human and otherwise—is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend, Quinn, has gone missing.

It’s clear that things are changing—whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie—Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community—is caught up in the changes.

In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.

Review:
This book was drawn out. It was hard for me to sit and read it. There were so many loose odds and ends all trying to make their way together, and although the mysteries usually are somehow congruent there were several different story lines meshed into one telling and not really well put together.

There was no romance to speak of, though there were several times I wondered if Sam was going to man up and kiss her, or if Eric would sweep her off her feet. While I approve of women getting out there and being okay on their own, I almost wonder if the lack of a relationship is what drove the book to be so random, to fill space.

While I’m certain she will forgive him in the next book, I’m still quite mad at Jason. If you read this novel, you will be too.

Looking forward to reading the next one, and hoping that it fits together in the usual way of these novels instead of the jumbled mess that this particular story presents.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

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All Together Dead
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 7
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 342

Date Started: January 20, 2016
Date Finished: January 21, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)all_together_dead
Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life—the oh-so-handsome shapeshifter Quinn—but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for a takeover. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

Review:
Sookie became useful… so much more useful than she likely wishes she had become.

While she learns some things about Quinn, what she learns more is that she has quite the loyalty to one particular vampire, and a large loss of respect or desire to help another. The mysteries in this novel mostly have to do with vampire politics, but it also revealed important revelations about Sookie’s romantic interests and just how much they cared for her.

The mysteries were well done, and while I managed to figure one out, I hadn’t figured out the second one in entirety. Unfortunately, part of my ability to reckon what was going on may have been highly influenced by the acknowledgements, which would have been much better off in the back of the book and not the front, considering the spoilers within.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

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Definitely Dead
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 6
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 342

Date Started: January 20, 2016
Date Finished: January 20, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)book06definitelydead
As a person with so few living relatives, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse really hated to lose one. But she never guessed that it would be her cousin Hadley—a consort of the Vampire Queen of New Orleans. After all, technically speaking, Hadley was already dead. And now, as unexpected heir to Hadley’s estate, Sookie discovers the inheritance definitely comes with a risk.

Someone doesn’t want Sookie looking too deeply into Hadley’s past—or for that matter, Hadley’s possessions. And they’re prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. But who? The range of suspects runs from the Rogue Weres who reject Sookie as a friend of the Pack to the Vampire Queen herself, who could be working through a particularly vulnerable subject—Sookie’s first love, Bill.

Whoever it is, they’re definitely dangerous—and Sookie’s life is definitely on the line…

Review:
No matter her thoughts, Sookie is going to end up deeper into vampire politics than she ever wanted to.

Relationship wise, this book hits the jackpot. We have so many new faces introduced with good characterization, and you also get to see some already known faces and watch as their relationships with Sookie shift and deepen.

I had guessed of what the king might be trying to do, but what really blindsided me and made me truly sympathetic towards Sookie was the betrayal she learned of. As for the second side of the mystery, I figured it out far too soon, but I sure was glad Quinn was there to help Sookie deal with it (Eric too!)

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

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Dead as a Doornail
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 5
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 320

Date Started: January 19, 2016
Date Finished: January 20, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)200px-dead_as_a_doornail
Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first…

Review:
There were a few discontinuities in this novel, things that didn’t match up with previous books, like mention of Sookie never having a dishwasher before, when in a previous novel Arlene had put dishes in the dishwasher when looking over her, but this didn’t disrupt the overall novel.

I only had a tiny idea of who to suspect at all, and it was a very very faint one. Like the rest of the novels, this one had not just one but two rather good mysteries. Thank goodness Sookie has a fairy looking out for her!

While Sookie remains unattached in this novel, it’s interesting to see the relationship dynamics between she and the vampires she is familiar with, especially with Bill starting to see someone else.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

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Dead to the World
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 4
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 310

Date Started: January 19, 2016dead-to-the-world
Date Finished: January 19, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn’t just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn’t a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It’s Eric the vampire—but now he’s a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

Review:
As far as mysteries go, I absolutely loved the various layers and depth to this one. We weren’t just faced with something supernatural, but also something that messed very heavily with humans.

Eric got a more thorough looking at, and it’s hard not to like him the more you get to know him. In many ways, I like him with Sookie better than any of the other contenders for her affections.  Sookie is beginning to change and become a more experienced person and less of an innocent dunce, and it’s quite a nice, welcome change.

This book is very emotionally driven, and I think that’s likely what makes it so riveting and relatable, since most have felt spurned before, though I would like to believe not many would go to the lengths some do in this novel.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

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Club Dead
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 3
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 258

Date Started: January 18, 2016clubdead
Date Finished: January 19, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Sookie’s boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she’s off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill—caught in an act of betrayal—she’s not sure whether to save him…or sharpen some stakes.

Review:
It was good to see Sookie forced out of her comfort zone and although I didn’t necessarily like what happened with Bill, it was good for her to realize even people that seem perfect can falter.  The new people introduced are interesting and have great depth.

The mystery in this one was very much purely supernatural, and I have no complaints about it.

One thing that does get annoying is Sookie’s constant mention of no one asking her to marry them. She and Bill were only dating a few months, and he’s a vampire. A bit of an unrealistic expectation, but since her only previous relationship experience is reading romance novels, I suppose it’s understandable.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

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Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 2
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 290

Date Started: January 16, 2016
Date Finished: January 18, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)livingdeadindallas
Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck. First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature which gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn’t enjoy it). The point is: they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favour, she obliges – and soon Sookie’s in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She’s supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave, and let the humans go unharmed. But that’s easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly…

Review:
Finally, in this book we see that Sookie has to honour a commitment she made too lightly in the first book to a certain vampire, which shows that you should not agree to do something continually if you have no desire to do so.

The relationship dynamics in this book series continue to evolve and it was interesting to see Bill and Sookie’s relationship shift throughout.

The human mystery in this novel was far harder to have any grasp on before getting to very far into the rising action. The climax was completely unexpected, and very intriguing, making me anxious to see what other creatures Sookie might encounter in the future, as well as if her supernatural friends will be able to continue keeping her safe.

 

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

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Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 1
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 336

Date Started: January 15, 2016
Date Finished: January 16, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)dead-until-dark
Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much – not because she’s not pretty, she’s a very cute bubbly blonde, or not interested in a social life – she really is …but Sookie’s got a bit of a disability. She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he’s tall, he’s dark and he’s handsome – and Sookie can’t ‘hear’ a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting all her life for. But Bill has a disability of his own: he’s fussy about his food, he doesn’t like suntans and he’s never around during the day …Yep, Bill’s a vampire. Worse than that, he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble – of the murderous kind. And then one of Sookie’s colleagues at the bar is killed, and it’s beginning to look like Sookie might be the next victim …

Review:
In the beginning I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this novel. Sookie is the epitome of a dumb blonde. Between the constant references to what she was wearing to the amounts of times people had to tone down what they were saying because she couldn’t comprehend adult situations I hadn’t been sure I’d ever like her. Luckily, she began to develop as she met Bill.

All of the characters are well developed, and the mystery is slow burning. The mystery made perfect sense although it was hard to pinpoint which person it could possibly be given the large amount of people that seem to dislike the undead.

All in all, I picked up book 2 as soon as I was finished with this one.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead and Gone by Norah McClintock

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Dead and Gone
Mike & Riel Mysteries
By Norah McClintock

Star Rating: 
Genre: YA Mystery

Number of Pages: 224

Date Started: January 12, 2016
Date Finished: January 14, 2016dead-and-gone

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
A shallow grave. Human remains. An unsolved murder from years ago. It looks like the past is coming back to wreak havoc on Mike’s new life. What’s making the usually unshakeable Riel so rattled, and what does a beautiful but manipulative girl have to do with it all?

Review:
From the first page I was hooked. I hadn’t read the other books that started Mike and Riel Mysteries, but that didn’t stop me from getting right into this one. All of the characters were well developed with strong personalities and moral compasses (or lack thereof). Mike, despite his faults, is easy to empathize with, because he doesn’t always consider the big picture when deciding to do things, which is something that everyone has to learn.

While this book is a mystery, I found that there were plenty of clues along the way that would lead a critical thinker to the conclusion, while still having far too much more to read. Despite that, I still read to the end, waiting to see if any of the characters might have a dramatic explosion over the major reveal.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Norah McClintock has won an unprecedented five Arthur Ellis Awards for Crime Fiction for Mistaken Identity, The Body in the Basement, Sins of the Father, Scared to Death and Break and Enter. McClintock has also been nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for her non-fiction title Body, Crime, Suspect; No Escape was nominated for the White Pine Award; and Hit and Run was nominated for the Red Maple Award in 2004.