From Dead to Worse

Sookie Stackhouse has come a long way from the days when she was a simple (if telepathic) barmaid, wistfully dreaming about something otherworldly that might spice up her humdrum life.  She is now firmly enmeshed in vampire politics, not to mention the world of shapeshifters, including town's local werewolf pack.  This eighth book in the series deals with the aftermath of the massive upheaval that took place in the previous book, and while it's a quieter book in many ways, it delves into many of the unresolved issues from previous book in the series.

There is a lot going on in this book, and rather than one single, smooth storyline as we've had with some of the previous books, this one bounces here and there, from a series of murders, the issue with Bob the cat, vampire politics, the damage from hurricane Katrina, the disappearance of Sookie's boyfriend Quinn, and the appearance of a long-lost relative of Sookie's.  I didn't mind that the plot was a bit scattered in this way - these were all fascinating elements, and I was happy to go along for the ride.  This installment of the series felt like a little pause from the breakneck action of previous books - particularly as the overarching plot line goes - although it was definitely a gripping read.  (Or should I say a gripping listen?  I have come to adore Johanna Parker's narration of the audio books, so these days I exclusively listen to them.)  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm very much looking forward to continuing the series soon.

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. All Together 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)

From Dead to Worse (#8 in the Southern Vampire series) by Charlaine Harris; narrated by Johanna Parker (Recorded Books, 2008)

Also reviewed at: 
Fyrefly's Book Blog:  "But I think the real reason that I enjoyed it so much was that it was hugely, compulsively readable."
One Literature Nut: "To me, this seemed like a slower-paced storyline that helped the reader retrace everything.  I enjoyed this regrouping and appreciate the continued strength that Sookie goes on to show."
Whimpulsive:  "I felt like I was reading 3 or 4 shorter stories that got shuffled together without creating any smooth flow between or among them and as a result it just felt a little choppy."