Dead Reckoning

Dead Reckoning

Charlaine Harris

Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 11

In this eleventh installment of the Southern Vampires series, Sookie is haunted by a ghost from her past - Sandra Pelt is out and after her once again, while she, Eric, and the Area Five vampires have to cope with Victor's tyrannical rule. The story begins with an attack on Merlotte's and includes, as usual, drama from faeries, shifters, witches, and vampires.

I think I've finally figured out why the Sookie Stackhouse series doesn't appeal to me as much as most of the other urban fantasy novels I read. The story wasn't awful, but I sometimes felt that events had no connection to each other. It takes a lot of effort and skill to juggle as many plotlines as Harris does in this series, and the difficulty is beginning to take its toll. It doesn't help that the story lacks an overarching goal or even villain, which often keeps a series a cohesive whole rather than a junk drawer.

Moreover, the characters ceased to develop long ago. Early in the series, when Sookie constantly had to adapt to new information about herself, her family, and her world, her growth was interesting to watch, but now she hasn't really changed in some time, and the futility of her personal relationships is often frustrating to read. Sad to say, I think it's time to put Sookie to rest.

Plot: 2 cupcakes
Characters: 2 cupcakes
Style: 1 cupcake
Overall: 2 cupcakes