Deadlocked

(Sookie Stackhouse #12)

Written by: Charlaine Harris
Pages: 327

It’s vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie’s heart…

Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she’d rather not know. And now that she’s an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she’d rather not see — like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.

There’s a thing or two she’d like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet — Felipe de Castro, the vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric’s front yard — especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank.

Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

It’s hard to believe that this is book twelve of the Southern Vampires series. I remember reading the first one so many years ago. I remember loving it so much and now i wait anxiously each year for the next installment.

Let me say this right out. I read this series well before True Blood premiered on television. No, I do not like what HBO did to the series. I’m fairly forgiving, realizing that going from print media to television sometimes necessitates changes. So it says something when a television show based on a series upsets me. I really wanted to love the series, so it makes me kind of sad.

It’s all sorts of things coming to a head in this book. After a while, it was bound to happen. Sookie’s definitely seen her fair share of things to get her into trouble with both the supernatural world and the human world. Through lucky, she’s managed to escape the full wrath of both and live to read minds another day.

There was a lot of darkness in this book with so much converging into some pretty messy situations. However, Sookie experienced a lot of good in the lives of her various loved ones. Her best friend became a mother to two healthy twins, she’s about to become a sister-in-law, another friend is getting close to giving birth, yet another friend is about to become engaged, Sookie even has a birthday and becomes part owner of Merlotte’s.

Does it make up for the negative? Especially as a great many lives move forward in big ways while hers seems to only be creeping near critical mass? Good question.

I will say that by the end of the book I was greatly saddened by some of the darker events centered around characters I’ve grown to care about. I was not surprised by the outcome in the final pages of the book, but I don’t want to spoiler anyone. What does it mean? Something big that I think we’ve all felt for a very long time.

Sadly, there wasn’t enough there to give hints towards the next book.

I guess it’s time to start the countdown for book thirteen. I shudder to think, given the stereotypical unlucky number.

I’m still enjoying the series, and at least this wasn’t quite as dark as some of the more recent books. I do think there are a few loose ends in this book that I can’t wait to see what happens with in the next. The book felt complete without feeling complete all at the same time.

For those wondering, yup, Bubba makes an appearance. Sadly, Bubba did not sing. Like it matters. I’m always happy when we get to see Bubba.

–Lady O