Definitivamente muerta

I read this book pretty quickly. One aspect that drove me nuts was this experience with Hadley that was the premise of the novel we never saw and the time frame seemed unlikely. Also, the continuity in the books is beginning to fall apart. Obviously Ms. Harris wanted to write the next book, All Together Dead, after Hurricane Katrina, so had to set that book in September, but Definitely Dead is set in March (I was pretty sure based on the timelines given in the previous 3 novels) and weddings are supposed to be in April. Somehow, 6 months goes by between DD and ATD, and the events timeframe has somehow stretched to allow for it. I'm only on page 3 of the next book, so hopefully some of the continuity will be explained. I'm not usually one for having to see all the plot devices for a book, but it seems like this Hadley experience would have filled at least half a book and I find it strange that while it is described decently the way authors describe past events, it never showed up in the books.

This book was not quite as good as earlier books in the series. I read it quickly but found it rather easy to put down.

need more eric! i don't like quinn somehow.. i hope for the next books! :)

Definitely Dead is an interesting turning point for the Sookie Stackhouse series, and if you're at all interested in reading these books, this book is not the place to start. With this novel, the Sookies have reached a point I've seen in the Dresden Files as well: enough has happened to the main character that she's had to grow emotionally, and in some ways she's not entirely comfortable with.

Sookie spends most of this book heading down to New Orleans to clean out the apartment of her formerly undead--and now permanently dead--cousin Hadley. This provides a nice opportunity to see how New Orleans is handled in the Sookie universe, and it's intriguing to see a version of the city where vampires are a huge tourist attraction. Plus, there are interesting politics between the Queen of Louisiana and the King of Arkansas. Sookie is drawn big time into these politics--especially when they result in her learning a highly unpalatable secret about her very first lover. Moreover, a secret about Sookie herself is revealed, one that goes quite a long way to explaining many of her life experiences, both past and recent.

Meanwhile, we have a distinct winnowing of the field of Sookie's suitors. A new love interest introduced in the previous book seriously comes on camera in this one; I have to admit, too, that I give Harris props for a were-creature that isn't a wolf, and furthermore, making Quinn bald. You don't see too many bald love interests in either romance or fantasy, that's for sure. That said, I'm still rooting for Eric, who isn't about to give up on the events that he still can't remember from Book 4.

All in all this is kind of a lopsided read for me. The Eric mileage is fun, as is the glimpses of New Orleans and the introduction of a new friend for Sookie, as well as a disturbing development for one of the minor characters in the staff at Merlotte's. However, Quinn as a love interest just doesn't push my buttons much. Three and a half stars.