Book Review: Dead in the Family

By Sandy Amazeen Apr 14, 2010, 1:04 GMT

The #1 New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series- the basis for HBO(r)\'s True Blood-continues! After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she\'s angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he\'s under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because ...more

Her involvement in an intense battle among the Fae left Sookie Stackhouse emotionally damaged and physically scarred, only massive quantities of vampire blood kept her alive.  Claudine died trying to defend Sookie during the war and she feels twice the guilt after learning her treasured fairy godmother and cousin was pregnant. Sookie’s vampire lover and Louisiana Sheriff Eric has been sympathetic but is dealing with a tangled mass of vampire politics. Werewolf packs are trying to organize in an effort to thwart pending legislation that would require them to sign into a national registry.
 
A buried body was discovered shortly after Alcide’s local werewolf pack used Sookie’s land for full moon activities in an obvious attempt to frame her for murder. The sudden appearance of Eric’s maker and former master, Appius Livius OCella along with Alexei Romanov throws tensions into high gear. With the local werewolf pack and vampire politics in an uproar, Sookie has plenty of enemies but the most deadly could prove to be the one she never saw coming.

The value of friends and family play pivotal roles in the latest Sookie Stackhouse series. While the overall action is a bit slower then in previous books, the many cleverly constructed subplots more then make up for it. The paranormal politics is believable without being overdone and sets the stage for more conflicts to come.