Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

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Available at Amazon, Book Depository, Penguin.ca

I was hoping by now that I would've had time to go back and read all the books in between Dead Until Dark (book 1) and Dead in the Family (book 10) to get caught up to speed. Well, it still hasn't happened but I wasn't going to let it deter me from reading the latest offering in the Sookie Stackhouse saga, Dead Reckoning. I must admit though, that things are becoming a bit blurry for me between the backstory that has been eluded to in the last two books and what I have watched over the last three seasons of True Blood. I really need to read up and get the skinny on the written version in a much more complete way.

Dead Reckoning started off with a bang, with action in the first chapter.  I was hopeful that this exciting pace would continue throughout the book. Well, it didn't, I'm sad to report. But what intrigues me, as I'm reading about Sookie, is how in my mind I conjure up a scene of sitting on porch, swinging, and drinking lemonade while hearing far out tales that would make any traditional southern woman fan herself rapidly in shock and dismay.

Sookie goes about her life as though it's normal, then has these crazy moments of paranormal mayhem. She even questions the sanity of it all and how/if she can handle anymore. I liked this reflective aspect in the story. That Sookie is made aware of how screwed up her life is, rather than just the reader seeing it and screaming into the book, "Wake up, Sookie!" , is a refreshing quality (yes, the yelling still happens but if fictional characters realized too much about their own lives there would be no story at all).

What I'm getting a bit tired of is all the fence sitting in Sookie and Eric's relationship. Maybe it's because I love the Eric character so much it makes me biased. I just want Sookie to make up her mind, but something always seems to get in the way. And there's no exception here. The story is left wide open for more books, which is good when you love the characters as I do. BUT, when most of the story is told in that languorous, porch swinging way, it starts to get a little drawn out. I haven't yet given up on Sookie, but I would've liked much more action and intrigue than what was delivered.

There were some great scenes, including a funny one with Bill, and another intense one near the end with Bubba. My heart really went out to Pam, and I'd have been feeling murderous too, if I'd had to endure what she went through. All in all, there was some great story building, some partial resolutions, but still lots of story lines that have been working through the last two book (and probably longer, though I haven't read the other books yet) that need resolving and soon! Saying all that, I still look forward to what Charlaine Harris cooks up in future offerings for Sookie and the gang.