Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlaine Harris Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2)
Book Review: Sookie gets more Dallas "nightlife" than she bargains for
Summary: 3 Stars
Sookie, telepathic Louisiana barmaid dating Vampire Bill and first seen in Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse), has a really bad day at work when she discovers a murdered coworker in Merlotte's parking lot. Then, an angry maenad turns her into a human messageboard for Eric, ancient Viking vampire, almost killing her in the process. Sookie and Bill are then assigned to work with the Dallas vampires. A member of their nest has gone missing, and there are strong suspicions that kidnapping and treason are at play.
Sookie, a lifelong telepath, is gradually coming to grips with acknowledging her "disability" and uses it to a greater effect in this book. Harris's descriptions of Sookie's abilities are fascinating. Unfortunately, Sookie's hot romance with the undead Bill goes from sizzle to fizzle for a large part of the book. Sookie's faithfulness to Bill is tested as she is approached by her shapeshifting boss Sam, the gorgeous vampire elder Eric, and a Bill who seems to have left her for Portia Bellefleur.
The second book in the Southern Vampires series, this one seemed more disjointed and held less erotic thrills than the first. There are at least two major stories happening, but one is largely ignored until the last chapter or two, and it felt out of place, as though it should have been developed into a separate book. There are also several improbable shootouts and run-ins with crazy cults (one plot point in particular mirrored vampire detective show Blood Ties episode Heart of Fire almost point-by-point). Also, Sookie frequently states that she is "uneducated," but at times her character comes off sounding like a university professor, implausible given her background.
It was still an enjoyable read, but lacked some of the magic of Dead Until Dark, where Harris explored in greater detail her brand of vampire lore, shapeshifters, and vampire culture. Living Dead In Dallas seemed designed to shock rather than titillate; there were numerous graphic sex scenes, near-rape, and several violent scenes. I didn't enjoy it as much as Dead Until Dark, but at least it was entertaining in parts (and set in my state of Texas!).
Book Review: Loved it!
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was so much better than the first one. I began to really care about the characters in this installment and Sookie didn't seem as detached (emotionally) when upsetting events happened. Her mind reading skills have been sharpened. The mystery was also more exciting in this book than the last one and I loved the introduction of the Fellowship. The story lay out did seem a little strange however-in the beginning we are introduced to one mystery - the resolution of which is thrown in at the end of the book - and the middle of the book consists of a completely different story line. But all in all it was very entertaining and I am looking forward to reading the next book.Book Review: Not Free SF Reader
Summary: 3 Stars
Bloodless boyfriend intrigue.
The limitations of a small town (how many people can you kill and have one left?) means some city adventuring is in store here, due to the undead connections of her shag, and her own unique abilities.
Somewhat risky when they are superstrong and can rip you to pieces, too.
Basically the same quality as the first though, with the same sort of bad cover.
Book Review: Delicious!
Summary: 5 Stars
As always, reading about Sookie's adventures is a delight. She's a down to earth, southern girl with an unusual ability that makes her desirable to all supernatural creatures. Her relationship with Bill is still sweet to this point, with them having a minor obstacle and jealousy running supreme. My hormones speed up again with Eric's scenes, as his humorous flirting and determined seduction is my favorite area of the books. There's a vampire I wouldn't turn away!
Nothing much left to say except that if you're not reading this series, you're missing out on a wonderful world of supernatural creatures determined to worm their way into your head.
Book Review: Enjoyable but rambling and judgemental
Summary: 2 Stars
There will be some spoilers in this review.
I really enjohyed the first Sookie Stackhouse book, but have to admit that the second was a bit of a let down.
First, the plot was disjointed. There are two seperate mysteries in two separate locales, and they have very little to do with each other. Furthermore, Sookie is not really essential to unraveling either mystery. In Dallas, she does save a missing vampire's "life", but if she had not been there, the cult would have still exposed themselves the following morning, generating lots of good PR for the vampires, and all the people who were killed in the Vampire den would still be alive, so on balance, Sookie's presence in Dallas was a minus for the Vampires who hired her. In Bon Temps, we seem to be getting a "Cabot Cove" effect where one small community has an extrodinary amount of crime, for no better reason than that the protagonist lives there. In this case, we're supposed to believe that a) there is a local orgy fellowship b) they are willing to casually kill people & c) that they are dumb enough to dump their victim in the back of a police car! Once again, Sookie's presence is almost without consequence. Yes she solves the mystery, but apparently all those people were about to be killed anyway, an event which probably would have happened even without her showing up.
Second, the author through Sookie starts showing a degree of judgementalism which rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps this the difference between "Supernatural Romance" & "Urban Fantasy". I had put the first Sookie book in the UF camp, but this one seems more like SR. My problem is the way the whole 'orgy' issue is handled. The author seems to have decided that, as in a horror movie, anyone who has sex has to die, at least as it applies to the orgy party. Apparently as far as Sookie is concerned anyone going to an orgy is degraded and disgusting. The author stacks the deck by making several of the particpants murderers, but nobody is innocent. The funeral home director is singled out because apparently no one with such a job should be allowed to have fun, ever, and indeed, nobody seems to be there just to have fun. Logically given the circumstances of Bon Temps there should be a "spring break" crowd who can't actually go to college given their circumstances, but the author sets things up so that everybody deserves to die,and Sookie basically approves. I find this very problematical because, Sookie liked Lafyette. It was OK for him to be gay and go to orgies and have fun, but somehow everyone he actually went with him deserved to die. Also, Sookie feels so superior because she is true to her boyfriend? Hello! She is dating outside of her _species_, and sex with her boyfriend involves his sucking her blood! She doesn't have room to decide that everyone at the party was a bunch of perverts. Her outrage is rather selective and convienient. Shall we mention that she was OK with giving a bunch of vamps (both sexes) carte blanche to suck her blood? That she feels lust for both Eric and Sam? Anyway, it was a holier-than-though side of Sookie that I felt was very unappealing.
I still plan to read the next book, but I hope that it a) has a more cohesive plot, b) hews more towards UF than SR and c) gets Sookie off her high horse.