Definitely Dead

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  it really bugs me when short stories about series characters contain pivotal actions that involve subsequent books in the series - particularly when no mention is made, in an introduction, for example, that points out the fact.  Why, oh why, couldn't they mention that readers might want to check out the story "One Word Answer," which appeared in the anthology Bite?  I spent some confused moments wondering if I'd somehow missed a book in the series somewhere along the line.  Finally I gave up and just went with it, and in the end it wasn't a huge deal - but I just don't like feeling out of the loop.

Now that that's off my chest, I will tell you that I did enjoy this sixth installment in the Southern Vampire mystery series.  My favorite series involve characters that change and grow through the series as a whole, and when the characters are compelling, the mystery itself isn't why I'm reading the book - so if it's fairly simple, as it is in this one, I don't really mind.

There are several mysteries here: one involves someone taking potshots at shifters, and Sookie's brother Jason is suspected of being involved.  Another involves the vampire Queen of Louisiana, who has agreed to a marriage with another powerful vampire - but it appears war may result if Sookie can't use her telepathy to help the Queen locate a missing engagement gift.  There's a new(ish) love interest here, and some interesting characters are introduced, including a witch who may turn out to be a friend to Sookie.  Some things didn't quite gel for me - such as the motivation of the Queen to even consider an alliance with the man she's engaged to - it simply never felt very believable.  Even so, this was another enjoyable, gripping installment in Sookie's exciting life, and I am certainly looking forward to more.  I continue to enjoy Johanna Parker's skillful narration of these stories, and I intend to listen to the rest of the series because it's just so much more fun that way.

Books in the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series:
1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. Altogether Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. A Touch of Dead (short stories)
11. Dead in the Family
12. Dead Reckoning (2012) 

Source: My local public library

Definitely Dead (#6 in the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series) by Charlaine Harris; narrated by Johanna Parker (Recorded Books, 2006)

Also reviewed at:
Ashley's Library:  "I also have to say that Sookie Stackhouse with a stun gun is not only hilarious, but also reminds me so much of Stephanie Plum from the Janet Evanovich books that I had to re-read it!"
Fyrefly's Book Blog:  "All in all, it was a fast and thoroughly enjoyable light read, which is what I’ve come to expect from the series."
Rhapsody in Books:  "This book is a must-read for fans of the series, since the truth comes out about all sorts of aspects of the plot."