“Dead and Gone,” by Charlaine Harris

FM's rating:

1.      Premise 9

2.      Prose 10

3.      Plot 8

4.      Characters 9

5.      Overall 9

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This is the ninth book in this series and, yes, I have read them in order!  At this point, there does seem to be a formula of sorts being applied, though I haven’t analyzed it too closely.  It doesn’t matter – it works!  The main attraction here is VOICE and the voice of Sookie Stackhouse (forget about the True Blood TV show already) is absolutely compelling.  The character has a natural, almost completely unselfconscious sense of humor that seems to come from her, and not from the author.  This is brilliant craftsmanship.  The incredible diversity of characters makes the stories as colorful as any in literature.  Harris’ other series are excellent as well, but this one shines, and has made her my favorite female author.  The day that I read the last Charlaine Harris book that I haven’t read yet will be a sad one for me, so I am spacing them out, as I do with a couple of other authors.  Thank you Ms. Harris!