Dead And Gone by Charlaine Harris

First of all, I'd like to say that I adore Charlaine Harris. She has managed to write a series of books that I have always wanted to write, where vampires and human co-exist. I was however, a little disappointed with this novel. I wish that I could have given a 3.5 star rating but as I feel it didn't deserve 3, I instead gave it 4.

My first disappointment was that 2 pregnant women died in this book. They didn't just die though, they were murdered. I know that the Sookie books tend to be gritty but I feel that this pushed those boundries too far. I'm not sure that either death was an essential part of the story so I don't know what was trying to be achieved.

My next disappointment was that not enough time was spent on the fact that the Were community were coming out of the closet, so to speak. This was a big deal and yet it felt brushed under the carpet to make way for the Fae storyline. Why, I don't know but I have to admit I did still enjoy it.

The books are always a little slow in places where Harris describes Sookie's day-to-day chores in a little too much detail but there is always enough excitement to keep me reading in other parts of the story. This was no exception and the ending had me on the edge of my seat wondering who would survive and who wouldn't. I look forward to reading the next one but I do hope that the slaying of pregnant women or children is kept to a bare minimum. I don't even mind that Sookie hasn't decided who she truly loves yet (although I'm hoping it will be Bill).

Some may say that Harris is cashing in on the True Blood fame but I don't agree. I think the characters are developing well and the storylines good. Charlaine Harris may not be Anne Rice, but at least she's a damn sight better than Stephenie Meyer.