Review: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead as a Doornail

Author: Charlaine Harris  
Publisher: Ace Books
Publishing Date:  May 1st, 2005

Pages: 297
Genre: Adult Paranormal/Supernatural Mystery

Series:  Sookie Stackhouse #5
Source:  Audio

 

Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first…

Another book down in this series I can't seem to get enough of. This one was an interesting one for me. We got to see a little bit more of the fairies. A little more of the other weres. And the mystery of the sniper shooter had me very interest. 


Sookie's brother, Jason, is now a werepanther and is in trouble. Someone is out there shooting weres and either they will go after Jason, or Jason did it. I am not sure how but Jason is a suspect it seems, again. So of course Sookie puts herself in the middle of it. She is Sookie, it is her brother, and she has many other friends that are weres. 

There are always eye rolling moments for me in these books and I question myself many times on why I like these books so much. But I do. I love the crazy, the annoying, the over the top, the strange humor. I just love it all. 

Sookie is Sookie and as annoying as she an be there are times I really like her, like in this book. Yes she does some stupid things, but she is loyal and is always there for those she cares about. Even when it puts her in danger. What also amazes me is that as dumb as she can be, she is pretty good at putting the puzzle pieces together. 

The plots in this series always has some other stories in the background, this one had a good one with Sookie's friend Tara into some trouble with a vampire. SO what does Sookie do... she calls in Eric. Which means more Eric times yes. He has no recollection of his previous time with Sookie so of course this is the perfect time for Eric to be Eric and exchange his services for information. Oh the Eric. I am glad he knows though. I know they don't end up together but I do hope there is more Eric and Sookie time. 

There is also much more more Alcide and the weres. I loved getting to know the weres a bit more, their lifestyle and their members. 

I didn't guess who the sniper was. I never would have. It was a complete surprise. So the mystery was good too. Loved it of course. 

Another one down, another one enjoyed. 

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.

The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.

Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.

Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.