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Review:
Sookie's working her shift in Merlotte's when the bar is firebombed... and it doesn't look like the bomber was human. To make matters worse, an old enemy is out for her blood and the tension between her vampire lover/husband, Eric, and his progeny, Pam, with their boss, Victor, is building. The peaceful life Sookie is wishing for seems a distant dream.

A new Sookie book is like visiting with old friends. There are so many folks I love in Sookie's world, and it is real treat catching up with them, but it's like a visit with the old gang in more ways than one: it is great catching up with them all, but there's so much going on in their lives, you feel like you didn't spend as much time with them as you would have liked.

A few old favourites make significant appearances in Dead Reckoning: Bubba, Mr Cataliades, Amelia, Bob, Hunter and Alcide show up. Alcide in a funny (and very compromising) way, which makes me think we might not see him again in a hurry. Bill plays a larger role in Dead Reckoning than he has in a while, and I found myself genuinely liking him (not just feeling sorry for him) for the first time in quite a few books.

Eric returns in a starring role, and as much as I was rooting for a relationship between the two of them, you begin to see some problems here. Sookie's starting to genuinely consider the real costs of a relationship with him: both him as an individual, and him as a vampire. What's going to happen when she gets older? How can they have a relationship if Eric won't talk to her, not just about his business and problems, but about serious issues that have huge consequences for her? This couple have serious communication problems. Sookie's also really beginning to examine how much violence she can cope with, and wants, in her life. While Sook struggles with the thought of killing, even out of self-preservation, Eric will snap a neck without a moment's thought--or a pinch remorse. Sookie understands Eric's character, motivations and actions, but she needs someone who will understand her remorse and horror, and comfort her even if she knows she's not being rational. Eric will never be that person. And Eric's been keeping a big secret.

Sookie is a lot more mature, and there's an 'Aha!' moment where she decides she's going to have to prioritise her crises in order to cope (like she's not so much living as rushing from one life-threatening situation to another). She's beginning to examine what she really wants from life, and it seems like she is starting to think of herself as leading two separate lives: her normal, human, life in Bon Temps, as a barmaid, sister, and friend, throwing her best friend's baby shower; and another, where she's the wife of a powerful vampire, a pawn in political power games, and in constant danger from vampires, weres, faeries, and God-knows-what-else. It will be interesting to see how Sookie reconciles these in future installments. More than anything Sookie just craves peace. A quiet, happy life with the people she loves. At one point, she tells Eric she wishes he was a 'normal' vampire: boring, and without the political struggles.

Dead Reckoning ends on an ambiguous note (but not a dissatisfying one), and perhaps creates more questions than answers for the series. While we learn a lot more about Sookie's family history and telepathy, some threads in the story I thought had been neatly tied up are unravelled again (notably, an unexpected twist to do with Bill). What is Sookie going to do with her Grandfather's gift? How will the events of this book effect her relationship with Pam? Eric? The Queen of Oklahoma? What the HELL is Claude really up to? It definitely seems as though everything is coming together for a big finale.

Conclusion: The world of the Southern Vampire Mysteries is rich and vibrant--and SO real--and Charlaine Harris has created an intricate web with almost infinite possibilites. I cannot wait to see how see where she takes it next.

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