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Review:
I would say that Charlaine wasn't joking when she said the title for this book was very apt. It is all about family. Blood families and packs alike. I liked how each corner of the Sookieverse gets a look in, and something about that family is developed - the humans, the fairies, the weres and the vampire families all get story time.

The character of Eric is filled in wonderfully in this book, and his fans will be delighted with how he, his history, and his family are written. I won't say more and ruin anything, but I thought it was fun that we finally got to find out a little about where the great man rests his head.

Bill, Sam and Alcide all get appropriate chunks of the story, and the virtues and vices of each become clearer to Sookie. I feel like I can now see a glimmer of who she will end up with when all is said and done.

Speaking of Sookie herself, she is a much darker character in Dead in the Family. She has suffered a lot, and struggles on a daily basis to keep that suffering in check. She has more moxie than before (if that was possible) and seems to be developing a new catchphrase... 'geez Louise'. I'm not sure I like that, but it sure is a Sookie-phrase! She speaks her mind more, and is inevitably more wary.

At 295 pages, the book is about the right length, and it is split into 3 definite parts. The start deals with Sookie's recovery from the events at the end of Dead and Gone, the middle delves into the family theme in detail, and the ending is very Shakespearian.

At times I felt like the story was meandering, and lacked the clear focus of other Sookie books; the mystery in this one is smaller, and less pressing. However I feel that in order to continue the series, this book is absolutely pivotal to collect up all the many threads which have been written, tie a few together, and leave us ready for the next installment - which must surely focus on the legal implications of the werecommunity's revelation.

Conclusion: I give this book very high marks, as I really really enjoyed it, but I felt the necessary meandering stole a little of the urgency away from the story.

Where to buy:
This book and other bestsellers are on sale now on Amazon