If you haven't picked up the Sookie Stackhouse series - do it now! :) These books are great - entertaining and smart, and they flow very easily from one to the next, leaving you wanting more.

If you like these, you will love the Harper Connelly series, and I recently started the Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard sets, and am enjoying those as well. I can't believe I just "found" Charlaine Harris this year! :)

I love all of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire books and eagerly await the next one. Sookie is a very likable character and a complete original. Charlaine's vampires and other supernaturals all have depth and are well thought out.

If you haven't read Charlaine's other books, they are wonderful reads too.

If you've read the first 5 books in this series, then you will be happy to know this one is just as good! I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in just a few hours. It left me wanting more! Bring on book 7!

These books have gotten better and better with each installment and this one is no exception. First, I have really come to love Harris's writing style-she makes the sentences and dialogue flow and really makes her story and characters come alive in a simplified way. She makes writing a novel seem easy! Second, the plot was exciting and once again kept me turning the pages. I've really come to love Sookie as a character - she has her insecurities like everyone else and is considered a "good girl" but takes risk and doesn't worry too much about the moral dilemmas. Which I personally find refreshing-I'm tired of reading about characters who do something drastic then spend pages on their regrets. I was shocked about the revelation about Bill (which I won't spoil for other readers here) but it seems to fit perfectly with his character. I love Eric more and more with each installment. I'm not too sure how I feel about Quinn at this point-he seems a little too perfect and cookie cutter-but I'm excited to see what happens with him in the next book. Highly recommended.

I bought this series for my Mother and she has really enjoyed each and every one! She says they're "laugh out loud funny" and I've heard her do just that!

Did I miss something? When I started reading this book I couldn't help but wonder if I skipped one in the series somewhere. It brings up backstory and characters the author writes like we should know already, but I'd never heard much of Hadley except she was the troublemaker cousin who fell off the map. Now in this story Sookie seems to have already met her dead cousin's friends, solved some mystery of her murder, and knows so much about the queen and her gang that I felt like I missed a HUGE chunk of story somewhere.

And while I like that Sookie has something going with a were-tiger, I just can't picture an attractive, huge, bald, olive-skinned guy. I just see a tan Mr. Clean. And when Quinn was biting Sookie with his tiger teeth to get the tape off her wrists wouldn't that have infected her?

I just don't know what happened to this book in the series...did Harris bring in a guest writer or something? I'll still get the next one because I still want to know what happens with Sookie and the gang, but I was disappointed in this installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series.

I love this series! Definitely Dead is a great addition to it. This is a great book. I would read the other books in this series first.

Johanna Parker brings the characters to life in an exciting and believable way. This is an excellent series for those who enjoy fantasy and, particularly, vampire/shapeshifter tales. Sookie, the main character, is a pleasant person with whom I am able to identify. I would love to have her "disability"--I think. So far, the males she has dated are fun and also deadly. I hope this series continues for a very long time. This CD was certainly worth buying as I will listen to it a great number of times.

Charlaine Harris's books are pure genius! It seems as if they get better and better! I absolutely love them, and if you are a supernatural fanatic I'm sure you will too! Great book!

Definitely dead does not describe her books! Try laugh out loud fun, sex, humor and surprise as elements that makes Charlaine Harris one of my favorites in the chick lit fantasy and supernatural realm.

Definitely dead does not describe her books! Try laugh out loud fun, sex, humor and surprise as elements that makes Charlaine Harris one of my favorites in the chick lit fantasy and supernatural realm.

If you are already a Sookie and Bill fan, this book will blow you away! It is fast paced, and you see a side of Sookie and a side of Bill you would never believe. If you are new to the Southern Vampire series, you definitely need to start with "Dead Until Dark." Ms. Harris has such a way of pulling you into the world of the supernatural, you don't realize you have left the "real world." Believable characters are what makes this series one that you will want to read over and over again. I cannot wait to see what Sookie and her friends have gotten themselves into next.

OMG! I can't wait until the next in the series comes out! I love them all!! Sookie is the best!

In another delightful Sookie whodunit, Sookie is given the sad news that cousin Hadley, also a member of the undead, has actually died again (permanently) in New Orleans. Being the only heir, Sookie realizes that she has to go to New Orleans and clean out her cousin's apartment. Sookie soon finds out that Hadley was actually the consort of the Queen of New Orleans--who is soon set to marry.
It doesn't take Sookie long to discover that her cousin had a lot of secrets--hiding, literally, in closets and other places. But there is someone lurking who would rather that Hadley's secrets stay just that--secret. In addition to the mysteries concerning her cousin, there are revelations regarding Sookie's own personal life. And could there be a new romantic interest?
In another installment sure to keep readers turning the pages, this is another delightful paranormal whodunit from the author of this wonderful genre mix.


DYB

Sookie Stackhouse, barmaid and telepath, is back in this sixth installment of the Southern Vampire Mysteries, and things are, as usual, tense in Sookie's corner of the world. Contacted by Louisiana's vampire queen, Sookie discovers that her estranged cousin, Hadley, has been murdered and Sookie needs to come to New Orleans to deal with her estate. Of course, this is Sookie Stackhouse we're discussing, so things are not as simple as they seem. Add in some demons, the vampire king of Arkansas (why does that make me laugh?), weres of every shape and size, witches, fairies, Sookie' regular stable of friends and acquaintances, and the three hot guys currently vying for her affections, and we've got a standard, fun-filled addition to the series.

Definitely Dead is definitely delightful; Sookie discovers some things about herself and her family tree, and she assists in locating a missing child, thus putting her skills as a telepath to use in an arena besides the magical world. Upon reflection, however, I'm still not sure why that episode was added, though it was interesting. Otherwise, the action is almost non-stop, and Sookie once again is in mortal danger more than once. She's begun a new relationship with Quinn, the sexy weretiger, but she finds out devastating information about Bill, her former vampire lover. What's a telepath to do?

This is a worthy installment in this laugh out loud, engaging series, if a few minor questions still need answering. Sookie is managing herself well, and the set-up is there for the next book when Sookie will be accompanying the queen to a conference. Personally, I miss Sookie's sexy relationship with Eric, and hope to see more of him in book 7. Light reading but fun, this one's just left me wanting more.

If you like vampires and other things that go bump in the night with a little laughter on the side, you will love Charlaine Harris. I have all her books and would recommend them to anyone who likes reading about the supernatural in "real time."
DWJ

The main character Sookie Stackhouse goes to New Orleans to claim her late cousin Hadley's estate. While Sookie packs up her cousin's belongings she uncovers a plot against the Queen of Lousiana and made a new friend while she was there. It's a very interesting book to read. The author Charlaine Harris writes plot devices into the story line that unfolds later in the story. One of the main reasons why I like the main character is her telepathic ability and how she reasons within her head.
If you like telepathic barmaids then this is the book for you.

I can buy that Sookie is incredibly attractive to the average undead. And I can buy that she just seems to encounter dead bodies every time she turns around. But I still have trouble understanding how SO MUCH seems to happen to her. I'm not looking for realism (or I wouldn't be reading a book about vampires), but I would like a little more pacing and plotting so I can recover from one near-brush with death before another comes tearing around the corner.

All the usual suspects make their appearance in this book, but the focus is on her relationship with were-tiger Quinn (why oh why have all the hot bad boys suddenly taken to calling their ladies "babe," a la Ranger in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series??). Her brother makes a brief appearance, and she also gets the opportunity to solve an apparent kidnapping using her telepathic powers. But I must say, if Sookie keeps up with the attitude, she isn't going to have many friends left. Call me crazy, but if I did have telepathic abilities, I think I'd be eager to assist the police in whatever way I could.

ANYWAY, another head-snapping book full of peril and drama. A little too rich for my blood, but maybe that'll keep the vamps away.

I started reading this series when it first came out, and stopped (because of sheer volume of reading material at hand).

A friend gave me this book the other day, knowing I had read some of the earlier books. First off, let me state, if you haven't read at least 2 or 3 of the earlier books, you will be LOST in this book. However, if you do have the basics of what's happened in the past, then...

this book is just great. Fast paced, characters that grab at you, from first scene to last. Sookie is one of the most sympathetic series leads I've ever read, and she continues to be so. She's no superwoman, yet she holds her own amongst the monsters. This plot is very complex, and there's so much going on, that the book keeps you from page one.

IF YOU'VE READ OTHER SOOKIE BOOKS this is a great summer read.

(*)>

Like the previous books in this series, I enjoyed it immensely. However, I've noticed a trend in the series that does not bode well. Like Hamilton's Anita Blake, Sookie is becoming an man magnet - attracting all these fantastically handsome and endowed men who she just can't decide who to be with.

Please, Ms. Harris, go over and read the reviews of Hamilton's latest books. Please don't let Sookie decide on Anitia's answer - sex with anything that moves.

Consider Mary Davidson's Betsy, who has just one guy (still fantastically handsome), who she wants to MARRY! Both Sookie and Betsy have FRIENDS, who they care for and are concerned about. That's good enough.

Definitely Dead (2006) is the sixth Rural Fantasy novel in the Southern Vampire series, following Dead As a Doornail. In the previous volume, the Merlotte's Bar and Grill staff was going through a bad time. Sam Merlotte was shot in the leg and couldn't tend the bar. The cook was shot in the back by Andy Bellefleur. Sookie Stackhouse was shot in the shoulder and her house was set afire. And the temporary bartender was staked by the customers.

Sookie also had a miserable time attending ceremonies of the Shreveport Were pack. Colonel Flood's funeral was very depressing. Yet the competition for packmaster was even worse. Sookie was starting to dread invitations from Alcide Herveaux.

In this novel, the Pelt family sends word that they would like to talk to Sookie about the disappearance of Debbie. Sookie has already talked to the police and private detectives sent by the family, so she declines the offer. Despite her desire to forget the circumstances of Debbie's death, some things just seem to linger on forever.

Then Quinn shows up at the bar and wants to talk to her after work. He is associated with another memory Sookie wants to forget -- the death of Jackson Herveaux -- but this meeting has nothing to do with the fight for pack leadership. Quinn wants to ask her out on a date, but he also has a message from the Queen of Louisiana about an upcoming conference.

The next night, Sookie receives a phone call from Pam saying that Eric would like to have her come to his office for a visit. Sookie tells Pam to have Eric contact her directly. A furious Eric shows up at her front door sometime later, just before Quinn arrives to pick her up for the date. Quinn confirms the Queen's summoning of Sookie and then the couple go out on the town.

During the date, Sookie and Quinn are attacked by newly bitten Weres, but Sookie fights off her mugger until Quinn can dispose of his own attacker and intervene in her fight. The Shreveport cops are somewhat taken aback by Quinn's handling of the werewolves. At the station house, Detective Coughlin knows her from the Herveaux case, but Sookie also recognizes Cal Myers, Coughlin's new partner, as one of the local Were pack.

A few days later, Mr. Cataliades appears at Sookie's house expecting her to be ready to ride back with him to New Orleans to go through the possessions of her deceased cousin Hadley. Sookie knows nothing about this, but is informed that a messenger had been sent to notify her. They find the body behind a bush in Sookie's yard.

In this story, Sookie is involved in a double wedding of the Bellefleur siblings, she arranges medical treatment for her brother's girlfriend, and the Pelt family shows up at the bar to talk to her. Then Sookie locates a missing boy at the local elementary school. Later Calvin shows up to think her for taking care of his daughter and asks Sookie to marry him.

This busy week is just a prelude for her trip to New Orleans. There she is taken to Hadley's home, which is really a miniature mansion. The next day, she meets the landlady under rather informal conditions. After an incident with a newly risen vampire, Sookie gets to meet the Queen of Louisiana. Then everything gets complicated.

Recommended for Harris fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of telepathic waitresses, magical mysteries, and romantic encounters.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This book is excellent - filled with characters that you can only love. This is the sixth book in this series though, and won't make any sense unless you've read those first.

I think characterisation is what raises this book above others of its type (and if you're into fantasy there are more than enough of these types of vampire books floating around at the moment.) Sookie is smart and tough without being rude and annoying (see Undead and Unwed for an example of smart and tough going horribly wrong).
Her boyfriends are three-dimensional and fun to read about. The problems she gets herself into and extracts herself from are interesting and unusual. She also seems to have morals, which is unusual in a book of this type.
So all in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon. I wish it tied up all the loose ends, but you have to give the author some credit - she wants to write a couple more sequels after all.


As an aside, I also like the way there is actually a reason for all those guys going crazy for her - most books just explain it away the otherwise ordinary person's extraordinary charm. Sookie, as it turns out, is descended from a fairy, and thus has got the whole glamour thing going. Hey - it's a heck of a lot better than inexplicable sexual magnetism.

This was another great installment in the series. I enjoyed it immensely.

Sookie Stackhouse, telepath and barmaid, can't seem to shake the trouble that follows her.

Sookie is summoned by the Queen of the vampires to New Orleans. The Queen and Sookie's cousin, Hadley, were lovers, and then Hadley was murdered leaving Sookie sole inheritor of all her things. She must clean out Hadley's apartment, so the witch Amelia, who owns the place, can rent it out again. The King and Queen of vampires also require Sookie's attendance at a couple vampire events.

While Sookie contends with family matters there are a slew of Supernatural matters that pop up and also demand Sookie's attention. Debbie Pelts family wants to meet with Sookie for some answers on the disappearance of their daughter. While in New Orleans Sookie learns a few secrets that will change her views on her life.

Okay, I love all the Sexy Supernatural Suitors that come 'sniffing' around Sookie, but I am starting to get tired trying to keep all the men straight. For a woman who claims to want a 'normal' life that includes a husband and children, she sure is acting fickle. Quinn, the weretiger, shows up in Merlotte's to date Sookie. Sookie really seems to want this relationship to work out, she is taking things slow, and I hope it does work out. I don't know how she could juggle another suitor or another ex.

This was one of my favorites in the series, I enjoyed it immensely. It was a quick read and for me helped tie up a few loose ends and unanswered questions. I love the creativity these books showcase. The only real problem I had with the book was the way Sookie treats Bill at the end. The last chapter promises that the next book will be even more exciting.

Definitely Dead is Harris'6th entry is her wonderfully imaginative and fun Southern Vampire series. Unfortunately, it goes nowhere and does not advance the characters or the series. It reads like a book she is contractually obligated to write or, perhaps, she just needs to slow down her torrid pace of writing and take a sabbatical. I hope it is a bridge book to a super 7th novel, but I'm not holding my breath.

I have truly enjoyed this series! The plot twists, the romantic suspence, the paranormal topics... it's all FANTASTIC! I highly recommend the series!

I am so thrilled I found Charlaine Harris and her wonderful characters like Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, ETC...If you'd like to enter the world populated with vampires, weres and more read the Southern Vamp Mystery Series by Harris. They are all wonderful!!!

I love all of her books. I read everyone in a few weeks time. They are addicting and love that the characters follow from one novel to the other. They have a family-like feel to them. Her books are exciting and fun.
I highly recommend them.

I loved this book. It was my first time to read Ms. Harris's books and I was so thrilled with it, I had to go and buy all this series books. You need to start at the beginning to really know what is going on, however, any of the books are great.

I love this author!! The books are fun, and sexy. I hope that she contiues to write with such wit, and easy humor. I can't wait for the next chapter in Sookies life!!

For those who've followed Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, "Definitely Dead" is another enjoyable novel about our slightly ditsy heroine whose life gets more and more complicated now that various supernatural creatures are coming out of the woodwork in the town of Bon Temps. The first couple of books featured Sookie's relationship with vampire Bill Compton but then that all fell apart and Sookie found herself spreading her wings a little within the supernatural community; yes, she's a human, but she's also a telepath and this means that she finds herself in some very unusual situations.

A lot of books in the vampire/werewolf genre are terribly predictable - you read the blurb on the back and you know pretty much the whole plot. The Sookie Stackhouse series, like Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series, aren't like this - I don't really have a clue what's going to happen next when reading these books and they're a fun ride. There are some darker moments in the stories and "Definitely Dead" has these where Sookie finds out something very distressing which preys on her mind a lot, but there are also a lot of lighthearted and amusing moments, particularly in Sookie's matter of fact thoughts about people and events.

The previous book to this one, "Dead As A Doornail", was the best of the bunch in my opinion although I was rather taken aback by Sookie's man-attracting powers; she actually has six - count 'em, six! - males after her. Interestingly, in this book we actually find out why that is and the field reduces a little as well. I found that rather more satisfying and realistic; yes, Sookie's a nice young lady but I couldn't quite see the appeal in the last book, especially as murder and disaster seem to follow her around and would surely be offputting to most chaps. This book worked that out a little better.

However there was a little bit of a disappointment in this story for me. I've been a big fan of Bill Compton throughout the series and I was pretty disappointed when he had his fling in an earlier book; well, he gets a very bad press in this book although with a glimmering of opportunity for redemption. I wish she'd see sense and realise that he's the solid, dependable and safe (ish!) kind of person, as well as her first love, but she seems intent on plouging a different furrow and I find myself, as a reader, a bit annoyed with Sookie sometimes. In these more recent books Sookie has a different beau in each instalment and that can be a little awkward - still it adds for variety.

We meet most of the familiar characters in this book - Bill, Eric, Quinn the Weretiger, the Vampire Queen, Claudine the fairy and more. Some characters take more of a back seat than in other episodes (Jason, Alcide, Sam) and some threads of the plot are just lightly continued so I imagine we'll read more about them in future books. It's worth reading this series in the right order as the backstory in each episode isn't complete; having recently read the first in the series, "Dead Until Dark", I did find the events with Bill in this book a little bit unlikely - probably the case of the author having a better idea a long way through the series and 'adjusting' the events in the earlier books to fit her plans.

For those who've loved the previous books in the series this will be equally enjoyable. Murder, mayhem, shapeshifting, bartending, romance, vampires, plotting - it's all there again. I'm not sure how many more books the series will sustain before Sookie starts seeming like a nymphomaniac madwoman but she's not quite there yet - read and enjoy!

There are so many reviews and I bought this book in paperback, so the hardback was out for a long time before I read it, but it is so great. One of the best of the Southern Vampire Novels.

Sookie must travel to New Orleans to go through her cousin's estate. She gets there and has so many adventures that you don't dare put the book down. She makes new friends and finds that some old ones are already in New Orleans.

I loved it, it was a breath of fresh air, and the whole book was fantastic. Do not miss it, it is now out in paperback and well worth the 8 dollars. Also it fits in with the other paperbacks in the series. If you haven't read it I encourage you to get it today.

I have enjoyed every single Sookie book. This is a series worth giving a chance. As for this particular story, I was rooting for Quinn and Sookie to get together. Because they wouldn't be considered a real couple by the end of the story, I think that they have a real chance at having a great relationship that will last. Sookie has been hurt very badly by the first "vampire" she loved and it has left her cautious of getting involved with someone else. I can only hope that Ms. Harris lets Sookie find her "soulmate" and hopefully it's Quinn.

If you haven't read any of the Sookie books, you should start with "Dead Until Dark". If you like vampires, werewolves, humor and romance, you will be not be disapointed by this series.

The latest novel, for All Together Dead is still two weeks away, of the Southern Vampires Novel lives up to its series. Sookie goes to New Oreleans to clean out her dead vampire cousin, Hadley's apartment. She also has a new love interest with a tiger shifter, Quinn, from Dead as a Doornail. Sookie's life is once again filled with chaos as she finds herself in deep trouble. With Weres attacking her and having a demon found dead in her woods, she has a mystery that needs to be solved. Oh and the vampire Queen of Louisana has a favor to ask her too. Swell! A fantastic read for all vampire fans, especially the Southern Vampire fans!

I have a few problems with this book. Number one being the few typos I came across while reading it. Turn to page 224 in the paperback. Second paragraph...."but he was too POLITIC and too courteous....". Ummmm, politic? There is another one, before that one, that I did not make a mental note about, thinking it was just a fluke. Are these not proofread? Also, she makes mention of the "president" (referring to the President of the U.S.). President in the book is spelled with a lower case "P". Should it not be a capital "P". I realize these are minor, minor things, but they shouldn't be in a book by a major author.

Also, Sookie keeps referring to the death of her cousin and how she (Sookie) got to execute the killer. If I hadn't read in another review on Amazon that all happened in a short story compilation, I would still be looking for the "Sookie" book where that occurred. (Knowing full well I've read them all.)

Also, Ms. Harris likes to stereotype I've noticed. Little things like naming an Italian character "Dago", making a fairy in this book an effeminate male (get it? fairy? offensive!), and lastly the helper the Queen sends to help Sookie clean out her cousin's apartment is none other than a black man! I mean, why did the helper's race need to be mentioned anyway? How did that add to the story?

Lastly, what was that little segway with the missing child about? What did that have to do with the rest of the story? I mean the first half of this book nothing happened and then that storyline showed up and was cleared within a few pages. Weird.

In spite of all my gripes above (and really, it's just my two cents and I realize that means nothing!) the book is very good, and fans of the other books will want to read this. I like Quinn, and hope he sticks around in subsequent books. I just wish she would stay away from the sterotypes mentioned. They seem to creep up in a lot of her books.

I have a few problems with this book. Number one being the few typos I came across while reading it. Turn to page 224 in the paperback. Second paragraph...."but he was too POLITIC and too courteous....". Ummmm, politic? There is another one, before that one, that I did not make a mental note about, thinking it was just a fluke. Are these not proofread? Also, she makes mention of the "president" (referring to the President of the U.S.). President in the book is spelled with a lower case "P". Should it not be a capital "P". I realize these are minor, minor things, but they shouldn't be in a book by a major author.

Also, Sookie keeps referring to the death of her cousin and how she (Sookie) got to execute the killer. If I hadn't read in another review on Amazon that all that happened in a short story compilation, I would still be looking for the "Sookie" book where that occurred. (Knowing full well I've read them all)

Ok, so the book is very good, and fans of the other books will want to read this. I like Quinn, and hope he sticks around in subsequent books. (I'm not finished this book yet so for all I know, he may die at the end. No doubt in a typo filled scene.)

This book left me wanting much more of the story line. It seemed so incomplete. I can only hope it's not building up to a letdown.

This book left me wanting much more of the story line. It seemed so incomplete. I can only hope it's not building up to a letdown.

This series is awesome, my friends and I have enjoyed these books immensely. Real page turners, Sookie rocks, and where are all the Erics and Quinn's of the world ?? ...... darn, only in fantasy.

Overall this was a great book. There are some twists in the book that drastickly effect Sookie. Also, Sookie makes some new friends along with meeting up with some old aquantices.

Like all the Southern Vampire novels, this is a must read. Sookie is off to New Orleans to deal with her late (vampire) cousin's estate - who happened to be the significant other of the Queen of Louisiana. I liked this book a lot, but it isn't my favorite Sookie book. I like the one's that are a little more steamy. Sookie has a new romantic interest in this book, and Eric and Bill have bit parts, but Sookie is playing it cool, still, and not giving it up for anyone.

I AM A BIG FAN OF THIS SERIES AND HAVE READ THE BOOKS TWICE...ALL BUT THIS ONE. I WISH I HAD NOT EVEN READ IT ONCE AS THE SO CALLED "TWISTS" IN IT DEALING WITH BILL AND ERIC DO NOT FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE SERIES AND LEFT ME FEELING TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED WITH MS. HARRIS'S PLOT. IT WAS JUST PLAIN NOT FUN!