Deadlocked

What kind of trouble is Sookie Stackhouse going to find herself in this time? That’s the question you must ask yourself with every new entry in The Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris. For those who’ve watched HBO’s True Blood but haven’t read the books on which the series is based, there is much more in the printed word than the TV series (which starts up again this summer!) dares to touch. It’s told in the first person by Sookie, so you quickly get to know the telepathic character—and all her vampire, werewolf and fairy friends—in great detail. Deadlocked, No. 12 in the series, catches her in the aftermath of a vampire slaying, and it isn’t long before the death count increases. It’s all Sookie can do to keep her love life straight while avoiding the spotlight of a detective on the hunt for a murderer, a vampire king and queen vying for power, a rogue werewolf or two and fairies in need of a leader. Harris proves once again that, while she might not be a master wordsmith, she sure can tell a good story filled with romance, mystery and supernatural surprises.