Book Review: Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, #3) by Charlaine Harris

Title: Club Dead

Series: Southern Vampire Mysteries

Book Number: 3

Author: Charlaine Harris

Genre: Fiction - Paranormal

Finished: January 14, 2009

Club Dead is my favorite of the series so far. When the book begins, Bill, who has been working on a "secret" project, has been kidnapped and is being held hostage in Mississippi for his secrets. Much to Sookie's dislike, Bill had also been recently shacked up with his maker, who he subsequently planned on leaving Sookie for before he was betrayed by said maker. What a mess, right? But what else could or would a fan of the Southern Vampire Mysteries expect? Despite Bill's betrayal, Sookie, with the help of a werewolf, heads off to Mississippi to find Bill. There's a lot of drama, a lot of arguing, a lot of mystery and a lot passion. Bodies pile up and violence increases as the story goes on. Werewolves and shapeshifters are very important in this third book, which is great in making the Southern Vampire Mysteries about more than just vampires. Sookie's world is indeed full of the paranormal and supernatural. It's a wonder a girl can get any peace, which doesn't seem to bless Sookie often. The mystery that unfolds Bill and his kidnapping isn't that intricate or hard to solve. It almost seems to happen too easy, which is forgivable because the book is just so entertaining. In the end, I didn't mind that Sookie was all but able to just ease Bill out from under his captors and rescue him because there was drama and tension everywhere else. The build-up was not in her rescuing Bill, but in her finding him. The climax of tension was in her getting to the house and finding a way to save him, not the rescue. Eric makes a much larger appearance in this third book, which I feel really adds to it. You can't deny that there is some great chemistry between Eric and Sookie. Then again, it just could be because I think the two of them would make an excellent couple and have a more interesting dynamic than other couplings in the books. This book has solidified my respect for Eric. Sure, he comes on strong and hard, often times a bit cold, but he's actually quite charming and funny. If anything in this book made me laugh, it was some of what came out of his mouth.