From Booklist
Sookie Stackhouse is having man trouble. Her vampire boyfriend, Bill, has been distant and inattentive lately. Then he announces that he is going on a business trip, which clearly is more than it seems. After a werewolf tries to abduct Sookie at work, Bill's boss, Eric, tells her that Bill fell under the sway of his--Bill's, that is--ex, a sexy vamp named Lorena, and has been kidnapped. Eric wants Sookie's help in getting Bill back, and despite her hurt over Bill's betrayal, Sookie agrees to go to Jackson, Mississippi, to find her wayward lover. Eric has persuaded Alcide, a dashing werewolf, to get Sookie access to Josephine's, aka Club Dead, the local hangout of Jackson's supernatural element. In between dodging kidnappers, the advances of amorous Eric, and her growing feelings for Alcide, Sookie has to find out who kidnapped Bill and figure out a way to rescue him. With some droll touches--Elvis, now a vampire, is Sookie's faithful guard --Club Dead is ideal for readers who like their vampire fiction light, humorous, and fast-paced. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Tanya Huff
Horror and humor as seen from the unique perspective of rural America.


Book Description
Sookie's boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she's off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill-caught in an act of betrayal-she's not sure whether to save him...or sharpen some stakes.


Download Description
Sookie's boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she's off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill-caught in an act of betrayal-she's not sure whether to save him...or sharpen some stakes.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire saga (begun with Dead Until Dark and Living Dead in Dallas) chronicles the life and times of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress in love with a vampire named Bill Compton. Sookie is attracted to Bill not just because he's physically appealing and practically immortal but also because she can't read his mind. The glamour and mystery surrounding the tall, pale, and handsome vampire -- as well as his supernatural bloodsucking friends -- draws Sookie in to wild, otherworldly romance, as well as incomprehensible danger.

In Club Dead, Bill informs Sookie that he has to go somewhere on a top-secret mission for the queen of Louisiana (vampires have a strict territorial hierarchy) and promptly disappears. Later, Sookie is informed by Eric, the charismatic head of the local vampire territory, that someone has kidnapped Bill in Mississippi and that his life may be in grave danger. Sookie also learns that her undead boyfriend was actually summoned by one of his ex-girlfriends, a vicious vampire named Lorena, who was hired to seduce, abduct, and torture Bill to obtain his top-secret information. Eric believes that Russell Edgington, the powerful king of Mississippi, has Bill somewhere on his sprawling compound. Sookie decides to do anything to rescue him.

Like Laurell K. Hamilton's popular vampire hunter, Anita Blake, Sookie Stackhouse is a strong, intelligent, very sexy woman with a great sense of humor and a strange knack for getting emotionally involved with the undead. Club Dead is an action-packed page-turner of a fantastical mystery comparable to Hamilton's saga. Paul Goat Allen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that's Bill. But recently he's been a little distant -- in another state, distant. His sinister and sexy boss Eric has an idea where to find him. Next thing Sookie knows, she is off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. It's a dangerous little haunt where the elitist vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some type O. But when Sookie finally find Bill -- caught in an act of serious betrayal -- she's not sure whether to save him ... or sharpen some stakes.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Sherry Korthals

Telepath Sookie Stackhouse again is in over her neck in this third novel of The Southern Vampire series. A mixture of mystery and romance, Dead Until Dark (Ace, 2001) garnered the Anthony Award, and Living Dead in Dallas (Ace 2002/VOYA October 2002) achieved bestseller status, but Harris's series falters here. Suffering from weak editing and a disjointed plot, it reads like a bad Harlequin Romance. Sookie wants to marry her bloodsucking boyfriend, Bill, but instead finds herself abandoned for a new fanged flame. Stakes are later raised when Bill is kidnapped by Nosferatu, who covets the database of undead he has compiled for Louisiana's vampire queen. Sookie must team with a werewolf and Bill's night-stalking boss, Eric, to discover his whereabouts. With unexpected help from Bubba-a vampire who was Elvis in life-Sookie rescues her lover from death's silver chains, only to dismiss him as the plot buries itself. Harris's series takes itself too gravely to its rival, the campy Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Neither Bill nor Eric possesses spinoff Angel's endearing qualities, and Sookie pales in comparison to self-assured Buffy. The submissive role Sookie plays in her sexually addictive relationship with Bill might prove offensive to some, as she increasingly plays the abused victim's role. Vamp-were addicts will devour this novel notwithstanding its shortcomings, but discriminating readers will find the titles in Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series and Huff's Blood books superior works. Annette Curtis Klause's Silver Kiss (Delacorte, 1990/VOYA December 1990) is recommended for younger genre readers. VOYA Codes: 2Q 2P S A/YA (Better editing or work by the author mighthave warranted a 3Q; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2003, Ace, 258p,

KLIATT - Sherri F. Ginsberg

This is the third installment in the series; however it can be read by itself. Sookie Stackhouse is a strong, independent female who happens to have the gift of being telepathic. She falls in love with a vampire specifically because she cannot read his mind. Her lover, Bill, is kidnapped by his ex-lover Lorena, a vampire who is notoriously vicious. Sookie hooks up with a charming werewolf (is there another kind?) who will safely accompany her to Jackson, Mississippi where Bill is being held. The werewolf has just had his heart broken and is immediately smitten with Sookie. Their destination is Club Dead, where all the elite vampires hang out. Needless to say, Sookie is an intelligent protagonist, beautiful and blessed with acerbic wit. She also has an uncanny attraction to danger. This will appeal to readers who immerse themselves in this genre. It has humor sprinkled about, which helps with all the violence. (Southern Vampire Saga). KLIATT Codes: SA-Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2003, Berkley, Ace, 258p., Ages 15 to adult.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"Charlaine Harris delivers both horror and humor as seen from the unique perspective of rural America." — Tanya Huff

"Harris playfully mixes several genres to make a new one that is her own bright creation." — Denver Post