Charlaine Harris – Club Dead

119. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (2003)
Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3

Read my review of book:
1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead In Dallas

Length: 292 pages

Genre: Fantasy/Mystery/Romance

Started: 26 September 2009
Finished: 27 September 2009

Where did it come from? Amazon.
Why do I have it? I bought the box set.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 September 2009.
Verdict? Keeper

Truth: Werewolf boyfriend
beats out vampire boyfriend…
unless it’s Eric.

On a bit of a side-note, and as a follow up to the post where I confessed to not really picturing characters as I read: Since I finished this book, I keep thinking things like “Man, that scene where _______________ was really good. I wonder if I can find that clip on YouTube.” and then realizing that the scene I was thinking of was from Book 3, and as such, had not actually been filmed yet, and what I was remembering was the True Blood actors playing out the scenes in my brain while I read. Heh.

Summary: Vampire Bill is working on a secret project for the Queen of Louisiana, and Sookie’s more than a little bit steamed when he goes off on an extended trip without telling her. But then Eric shows up and tells her that not only has Bill betrayed her, but he’s also been kidnapped, putting all of their lives in danger. Although she’s furious and heartbroken, Sookie heads to Jackson to see if she can track Bill down. In order to find out anything, however, she’s going to have to infiltrate the Jackson’s supernatural underworld, with the help of Alcide, a charming – and attractive – werewolf.

Review: While it did have some lingering problems, I think Club Dead is better than the two previous installments in the series. The prose is never going to be called “elegant”, but it continues to improve as the series goes, getting smoother and more confident with time. The plotting was also much cleaner in this volume, better of the jumble of Dead Until Dark or the piecemeal approach of Living Dead in Dallas. The action is kept at a quick pace throughout the book, although the ending did feel both a little rushed and a little anticlimactic.

But really, the reason to read these books (apart from the sheer trashy guilty-pleasure fun of it) is the characters, and their interactions, which have been fascinating since the start. Alcide is an excellent introduction to the series, and I love the continued development of Eric’s character. On the other hand, although he’s not around much, whenever he is on-screen, Bill is kind of a total jerk, and unforgivably so towards the end. Sookie’s kind of extremely dumb, and as much of a danger-magnet as ever, but she musters enough of a spine that her flailings don’t fill me with rage… and really, no one is reading these books as discourses of Feminist Literature. They’re fun, fluffy, fast-paced brain candy, and when judged on a scale of pure entertainment, they succeed admirably. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: For fans of the first two, this one’s even better… and ends with a lot of really interesting possibilities for the next book.

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Other Reviews: Another Great Read, Avid Book Reader, Beth Fish Reads, Books and Other Thoughts, Books and So Many More Books, Confessions of a Bibliophile, Desert Rose’s Booklogue, Eclectic / Eccentric, I’m Booking It, J. Kaye’s Book Blog, Love Vampires, Medieval Bookworm, The Novel World, One Literature Nut, Racy Romance Reviews, Reading Adventures, Reading Comes from Writing, VVB32 Reads, Working Title,
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First Line: Bill was hunched over the computer when I let myself in his house.

Cover Thoughts: Not terribly accurate, since Bill’s not around for most of the book… plus why is Alcide (if that’s supposed to be him) purple? But cute, nonetheless.