FROM THE PUBLISHER

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of bad luck. First, her coworker is murdered and no one seems to care. Then she's face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).

Point is, they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, she complies. And soon, Sookie's in Dallas using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved. There's just one condition: the vampires must promise to behave--and let the humans go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly. . . .

SYNOPSIS

When a vampire asks Sookie Stackhouse to use her telepathic skills to find another missing vampire, she agrees under one condition: the bloodsuckers must promise to let the humans go unharmed.

Easier said than done.

FROM THE CRITICS

KLIATT

This is one terrific read. Harris has created a charming and winning character in Sookie Stackhouse￯﾿ﾽcocktail waitress, telepath, and girlfriend of a vampire. Stackhouse lives in a different world, one where vampires, werewolves, and assorted other mythical beings actually exist. She is beholden to the local Louisiana nest of vampires and is sent by its head, Eric, to help the nest in Dallas. It seems that one of their vamps has disappeared and they need a telepath to track him and possibly save him. She dutifully follows Bill to Dallas where they stay at an interesting vampire hotel complete with windowless rooms and synthetic blood. In Dallas they discover a fanatical religious cult that is vehemently opposed to vampires and is trying to destroy them or, better yet, get them to destroy themselves. Sookie has to dive headlong into this mystery before she gets to try her hand and her mind at solving the murder of a fellow worker back home. Harris creates wonderful characters, an inventive plot, and terrific situations. She has a real feel for the world she has created and allows the willing suspension of disbelief to do its job. Her work is reminiscent of Laurel Hamilton and her Anita Blake series but much less dense. It also reminds a reader of Tanya Huff's work and has the same light touch. There is plenty of sexual tension between Sookie and her boyfriend but also between Sookie and Eric, who also wants her for his own. At the same time there is a joy and an innocence about the work that make it very appealing. (A Southern Vampire Novel) Category: Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror. KLIATT Codes: SA￯﾿ﾽRecommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002,Berkley, Ace, 262p., , Philadelphia, PA

Susan Sizemore

A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed.

Lynn Hightower

Highly original, extraordinarily riveting, erotic, and exotic . . . Charlaine Harris weaves storytelling magic in a tale of vampires and small-town Louisiana.

Tanya Huff