Author: Charlaine Harris (Reader: Johanna Parker)
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: May 2005
Length: 295 pages (10hr 2min)
Series: Sookie Stackhouse (#5)
Audio or Book: Audio
Reason for Discovery: I got addicted to this series.
From GoodReads:
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!
Supernatural trouble is going down in Sookie's hometown. Like in Harris' previous books, there are two major plots happening. In plot A, there is a sniper in town who has it in for shifters. The shifter population is freaking out, and they want to blame someone right now. The shifters start to think that their new pack mate Jason (Sookie's brother) may be the sniper, because he was an unwilling new member to the pack. Sookie needs to figure out who is targeting the shifters, before the shifters start targeting Jason! In plot B, Alcide (Sookie's former "almost boyfriend") is desperate for Sookie's help. Alcide's dad is in the running to be the new leader of their pack and there may be shenanigans afoot.
The Kelis song Milkshake kept ringing through my head as I listened to this book: "My milkshake brings all the boys to yard." Seriously, Sookie has all the boys in Bon Temps (and beyond) interested in her. She has at least two vampires and three shifters/weres who want to take care of her. Girl! You have it going on. I am excited to see who Sookie decides to date next. Besides being very impressed with Sookie's ability to get all the guys to follow her around and help out in all of her Scooby Doo capers, I just really love Sookie as a person. She will fight to the death for one of her friends, has a good work ethic, is frugal (I love that she goes to the library), and seems like a good person. Although I wouldn't want to get caught up in Sookie's adventures, I would enjoy hanging out with her.
I must admit that I don't read these books for the mysteries. We have gotten far enough into the series that as a reader, I know who is most likely not going to be the killer/kidnapper/sniper/villain, so I just look for who else is left in the book. It is the Murder, She Wrote complex, Cabot Cove and Bon Temps are only so big. With that said, there were some pretty exciting sequences in this book, and I wasn't sure how some of them are going to end. Sure, there are certain key characters in this series, but besides Sookie, I could see anyone being killed at any moment. And what does dead really mean in a series with vampires anyway?
So what do I read these books for if not for the mysteries? I have gotten attached to the characters. I never liked Jason on the one season of True Blood that I watched, because he seemed like an idiot. In the books, he is a player, but he works hard and tries his best. I also find how the vampires and other supernatural folk who live in this universe to be really interesting. I like learning about the politics within and between these groups.
Audio: I love Johanna Parker so much. She is Sookie Stackhouse to me. I know some people complain about Harris' writing, but when I listen to these books, I don't even pay attention to the words. I couldn't even tell you what I thought about the writing. When I listen to these books, it is like Sookie is just telling me about her day. The book reads like someone telling me a story. I just sit back and take it in.
Overall, I really enjoyed this addition to the Sookie Stackhouse series, and I am looking forward to listening to the next one. I am so glad that I found this series, because they are the perfect style and length for when I want something fun to read.
I give this book a 4 out of 5.