“The weres, hidden from the knowledge of society until now, follow the vamps by finally revealing themselves. Sam and Tray change in front of the customers at Merlotte's to support the Big Were Reveal (televised on the news). It looks like most of the folk are taking it in stride... except Arlene and her crazy Fellowship of the Sun pals, of course. And perhaps a few others, because a few nights later a were is found horribly killed in Merlotte's parking lot while Sookie is watching things due to Sam being called away, also due to problems with the were-reveal.
The mystery plot, with Sookie trying to help track down the murderer, becomes entwined with a more direct threat to Sookie, as enemies of her fairy-grandfather turn up and set their sights on Sookie as a weak link. Plus, Eric also involves Sookie by binding her closer to him, supposedly for her own safety amongst the vampires. And many other characters from the past also make cameo appearances.
This ninth installment in the Southern Vampire series is not one of the best of them, but is still readable and engaging despite its flaws. As some readers have complained, the book is on the short side, but that's nothing too new for the series. There is also violence, but that's also nothing new given all the vamps getting offed by fire or turf wars or murder for personal reasons in the recent books, and the were-wars did not have an insignificant body-count in older books. Harder to bear are the actions and feelings (or lack of) of the characters, which seem skimped on and a bit flat, or perhaps not very much in character. I wish that Sookie's relationship with Eric, which does progress a bit, was a bit more meaningful and moving than it was depicted here. I also dislike it when characters do stupid things that end with them being put in a threatening situation, and Sookie does that in a major way.
Other than that, the book contained an involved plot, built around a mystery, and continued with some threads started in previous books, with a lot of suspense and action. It should be sufficient for many fans, new and old, even while disappointing some. ”
aprillee wrote this review Sunday, July 19 2009.
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