If you think your family relationships are complicated, think again: you haven't seen anything like the ones in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric's vampire sire. And Sookie's tracking down a distant relation of her ailing neighbour (and ex), vampire Bill Compton. In addition to the family issues complicating her life, the Shreveport werewolf pack has asked her for a special favour. But this favour for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still recovering from the trauma of her abduction during the Fairy War.

Listening Length

10 hours and 2 minutes
Author

Charlaine Harris
Narrator

Johanna Parker
Audible release date

May 4, 2010
Language

English
Publisher

Recorded Books
ASIN

B003KQMG2G
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	10 hours and 2 minutes
Author	Charlaine Harris
Narrator	Johanna Parker
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	May 04, 2010
Publisher	Recorded Books
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B003KQMG2G
Best Sellers Rank	#10,705 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #83 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) #141 in Contemporary Fantasy #246 in Paranormal Romance (Audible Books & Originals)

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Aaron

its getting a bit stale now.

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2016

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She basically has a chapter before Chapter 1 trying to clean up book 9. For me this book started slow and was hard to get into. The pre-chapter was choppy and didn't flow well, it basically tried to tie up a bunch of loose ends. It didn't pick up until Chapter 3 - and it is not a big book. My biggest disappointment in this book is Sookie and Eric. Eric was there but not really. I understand that so much horrible stuff happened in DAG that it changed them both, but there was no passion between them at all. Charlaine left us at the bedroom door the whole book. It kind of felt like they were just going through the motions, but they are openly admitting how much that they love each other? We fell in love with Sookie and Eric and Bill and none of them were themselves in this book. I understand that a character needs to heal after the traumatic events in DAG; but I feel that Harris could've written that much better in this book. We still don't know if they will be closer to themselves in Book #11 (a year away). And I feel that she will need another pre-chapter in book 11 to clean up book 10. It's just not the writing that originally pulled me into the Sookie Stackhouse series - it just didn't read like a Charlaine Harris book at all.

4 people found this helpful

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Jesi Lea Ryan

I felt this was one of the weaker books of the series

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2014

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WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! Dead In the Family is Harris’s latest installment in the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series. In this novel, Sookie, the vamps, the Weres and the fairies are recovering from the Fairy War. Just when Sookie and Eric seem to be settling into a rhythm with their relationship, Eric’s maker and “brother” vampire come to town. This is not good news. On top of this, the politics for the Louisiana vamps and the whole shifter community are gearing up for a clash. Oh, then there is the fresh dead body on Sookie’s land and a strange evil fairy lurking in her woods…

Don’t get me wrong, I love this series. I have read it more than once, and I hardly ever re-read books. I would have to say though that Dead In the Family felt like a bridge book between two bigger books, if that makes sense. I noticed when I hit page 260 (in a 311 page book), that I was still waiting for the plot to get going. I guess that’s when I realized that all of this talking really was the plot. It was weird. Usually, I can count on my pulse to race several times while reading Charlaine Harris (either from the action packed plot or steamy Eric scenes), but I did get those feelings until I was in the final ten pages.

Don’t get me wrong… I still love this series, and I will be waiting in line for the next installment, but I felt this was one of the weaker books of the series. I do have to say that I liked certain developments in the characters. It turns out that sexy cousin Claude actually does have a personality. In a moment of feeling her age, Sookie contemplates turning vamp for the first time. We also see the impenetrable Eric at his most vulnerable. These are all necessary for the continuation of the series. I just wish the pacing would have been a little stronger.

Overall, I give Dead In the Family…
Plot Development – 2 bookmarks (not bad, but not what I’m used to with Harris)
Character Development – 4 bookmarks
Fight Scenes – 1 ½ bookmarks
Hot Steamy Vampire Sex – 1 bookmark

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – I can’t help myself. The TV series True Blood has wiped out all of the casting imagination I have and replaced it with the TV actors. Part of the reason that happened though is because the TV casting was so brilliant. Eric Northman is my favorite male in the series and Alexander Skarsgard has completely won me over with his Eric performance. I’ve always thought Bill was a weenie, so the fact that I don’t find Stephen Moyer that hot does not detract from things for me. Anna Paquin does a great job bringing camp and craziness to Sookie. Oh, and Ryan Kwanten as Jason is so unbelievably hot. (It’s also nice that he's agreed to save on the show’s wardrobe budget by going naked most of the time!)

3 people found this helpful

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PURPLEHAZE

Weaknesses But I Enjoyed It 3.5 Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2014

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"Dead in the Family" has some shortcomings but I still enjoyed it. It is a sort of transitional book that answers several fan questions. Although, some progress was made in the Eric & Sookie relationship, I still came away with the feeling that they won't get a HEA. Of course, since I am currently re-reading books 1-11 and have read the reviews for books 12 & 13, I already know what the future holds for them. However, I wouldn't dare spoil it for those reading the Series for the first time. There was mystery, action, suspense and romance. However, the book just didn't completely live up to its potential. This failing became unmistakably apparent around book 8 or 9. I attribute the increasing lack of substance, failure to fulfill potential and lack of depth to Harris' rather limited writing abilities & writing style, Harris' frequent failure to really flush out the details of various events and to what feels like Harris' apparent growing boredom with and/or her seemingly growing indifference towards the characters and the series.

Don't get me wrong, this book is by no means bad. It just could have been better. Moreover, having followed the series and now rereading it, I sense the growing lack of "depth," and "focus", for lack of a better words, and even the 2nd time around I find it very unfortunate and dismaying. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book, Love the series and am off to reread the next book.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

daisyduck1976

Running out of steam

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2011

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I have had a very up and down relationship with this series and it's on a down again with this book. It's a shame that a series with such promise and which still has real potential for exciting books, is slowly running out of steam.

Sookie and Eric are pretty loved up and both getting used to the idea that they are married in vampire style and that they feel each other so strongly through the blood bond. Sookie has some problems; Claude has decided to move in, there are 2 dead bodies on her property and an unknown member of the fae has been scented nearby. Eric is having some difficulties too with the aftermath of Sophie-Anne's death and the arrival of his maker.

The good stuff:
* all the Eric and Sookie scenes are highlights. Their relationship is well-written and easy to engage in.
* Charlaine Harris has stopped describing everyone's clothing in lengthy detail- hurrah!
* Hunter is back and the part of the book where he features is good fun although it adds nothing to the plot.
* Claude finds his human side- good times :)
* Octavia and Amelia are gone. Phew!

The problems with this book:
* Nothing, and I mean nothing, of any interest happens until exactly half-way through the book. Then it really picks up enough to hold your interest.
* The impending threat of the mysterious fairy out to get Sookie doesn't seem very threatening and she doesn't seem very scared.
* Sookie is getting more and more snarky and mean as the books go on. What has happened to her? She's becoming difficult to like.

I think part of the problem is True Blood. Alan Ball is doing such a good job of beefing up the characters and the storylines that the books are starting to be a let down now. The True Blood version of Eric's maker, Godric, was far more interesting than what Charlaine Harris has done with Appius in this book for one example.

So- I would say that if you have read all the others, pick this one up too. Just don't expect to be wowed and thrilled by it, because it doesn't have much going on and it's not very exciting.

NB//The Kindle edition has a few errors but nothing major.

8 people found this helpful

AyJay

It's time to stake this series and put it out of it's misery...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2011

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Our favourite telepathic waitress Sookie isn't getting to spend a lot of time with her boyfriend Eric; you see the country is divided into different vampiric territories, and each territory is further divided into numbered areas, and Eric is in charge of one of these areas, so he has to deal with any supernatural and political problems that may effect the vampires that fall under his jurisdiction. Plus he owns his own business as well, so as well as any work related worries of his own he may have, he also has a lot of responsibility to other people.

There's another headache for him now, in the form of some powerful vampires that may be plotting to overthrow him from his position [read as plotting to kill him], so he now has another massive weight added to his shoulders. Naturally this is just the perfect time for his Roman sire to come and visit - Oh yeah, his sire also brings Eric's vampiric brother - that he didn't know about - to meet too...

Sookie is jumpy and not too keen to be alone in these uncertain times, so when her cousin Claude - a fairy [really] - asks to move into her house for a little while because he is lonely with no other fairies around, and will feel better around family it seems like a perfect distraction for her. But, despite saying yes to him, she doesn't really trust Claude and she soon discovers that another fairy has been on her land and most of the few remaining fairies that she knows of don't like her and would be happy to see her dead. Has Claude got something to do with her fairy stalker?

Meanwhile Sookie's vampiric neighbour [and ex] Bill has silver poisoning and isn't getting better, so Sookie somehow decides that it's her responsibility to find a cure for him - even though he's more or less told her not to.

*****

I said I wasn't going to read another True Blood book after finishing the previous entry in the series [Dead And Gone] and being extremely disappointed by it, but I was looking for a particular book on my bookcase this week when I came across DEAD IN THE FAMILY; I don't even remember buying it and it was dusty so it's been here a while. So since it's already in my hands I thought that I might as well give it a go. What's the worst that could happen?

Lots, as it happens. Let's rewind a bit and remember that my main problem with the last book was with the number of characters that were killed off or abruptly decided to suddenly up and leave for very little reason. I knew this book was going to be a major let down when the very first chapter in this book begins with yet another recurring character getting up and leaving, for no real reason. And, sure enough, the author gets all kill happy again in DEAD IN THE FAMILY.

Before this book became known as the True Blood series it was the Southern Vampire Mysteries series and this change shows where the problem with the series lies; there haven't been any engaging mysteries for the last few books; instead they read as a supernatural soap opera, as the author is far more concerned with trying to reverse the past ten years and with trying to bring the books and the TV programme into an uneasy balance. There is no exciting whodunit and engaging and exciting twists and turns to the plot have long since gone and I don't feel any suspense reading the books now. I used to sit up all night, unwilling to put the books down, but now I don't even remember buying it...

DEAD IN THE FAMILY is the tenth book in the series and Charlaine Harris has also had many short stories featuring the True Blood cast published, which means that there is an enormous amount of characters and various events that are casually mentioned in the books, and remembering who is who and what relationships they have to the central cast is extremely difficult at this point. If someone who hadn't read all of the previous books and short stories picked up DEAD IN THE FAMILY they probably wouldn't have finished it, as everything is all jumbled and confusing.

There isn't any one strong storyline, the 'plot' is just a few random threads unraveling at different speeds; she starts off with one plot-line, seems to forget about it and start another one and then abandon that course too. After forgetting what's going on she pads out the middle of the book with pointless scenes of babysitting, funerals and conversations with Tara [who was a previously minor character, who hadn't been friends with Sookie since their school days]. Finally the author remembers some of the dangling threads and quickly ties them up in the last few chapters in a few very anticlimactic showdowns [one of the 'reveals' is especially annoying], but there are still a few unanswered questions that have been left by the end - has the author simply forgotten about them [seems very plausable considering her sloppy writing], or are they fuel for the next book? Who cares any more?

Simply put; it reads as though the author simply doesn't have any solid plans and is just fishing around her past books and grabbing onto any half remembered past conflict and running them to ground for the sake of having another money spinner in print.

Another annoyance for me is with the way Sookie's personality has changed and it doesn't seem like a natural progression. In some ways I can't put my finger on how she's changed; I can just tell that there's something alien about her character in the last few books. One clear difference is how she is still unsure of which love interest she wants. I don't think that the Sookie of old would still be lingering over her exes by this point; I always used to see her as polite, but strong willed and as someone who stood by her decisions in the earlier books. And she is pouty because Eric isn't giving her enough attention, even though she knows what kind of life-or-death trouble has just been added to his plate. This clingyness is very off-putting. She used to be very independent, but now she's kind of like me-me-me.

Speaking of character changes; stop romanticizing Eric, I adore him because he is a 'real' vampire; 1000 years old, ruthless, blood drinking, murderous and who once admitted that whilst he really liked Sookie, he wouldn't risk his life for her. Now he is distracted from his work over her, declaring his love for her multiple times and Sookie spends a scene braiding his hair. I wish that the author wouldn't meddle with him, is she going after the Twilight fanbase now?

Oh, and Jason? He read like a different character too. He was always a selfish womanizer, but now he's suddenly all grown up and responsible. I can't get too detailed without spoiling other books, but past events would surely make his past behaviour worse?

I've read and enjoyed this book series since it was first published in the US, but the last few releases post True Blood have been severely disappointing and read as though they've been written by a different author. After reading the last two in particular I've been immediately moved to sit down and type rant filled reviews, not a good sign.

After giving the series another chance I now swear not to bother reading any future books; I'd rather remember the good old days and re-read the earlier books. This series is Just About Dead to me now.

3 people found this helpful

E. L. Joseph

disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2011

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The 10th in the sookie Stackhouse novels and this series is rapidly becoming tired. I hate to say it because I loved this series to begin with but the last couple of books haven't been up to much and this one was the same unfortunately.

Nothing happened.

I read this book in a day and no not because it was amazing and exciting and gripping but because nothing happened.?.

Im not sure if what i just read actually constitutes a book?

We catch up with sookie in the aftermath of the fae war - a darker version of her former sunny self. She is with Eric which of course is good cos i don't like Bill but the relationship had no depth to it and was pretty flat. We meet Alcide and his pack again as they run on sookie's land and she does them another couple of favours. Eric's maker shows up with a new "child" in tow - Alexei Romanov. (I do love how harris uses historical figures in her books). There are also a couple of corpses and some unknown fairies roaming around which pose a threat to sookie. oh and claude moves in too.

You would think that with all that to work with there would be a semi decent plot. You would be wrong. I gave this book 2 stars purely because I love this series and the characters and in all honesty the book wasn't dreadful...it just wasn't any good either. As some reviewers have put it Sookie gets a break in this book and she certainly does - it was all just fluff and any attempt at a plot just fizzled out and nothing connected.

For those new to the Sookie novels don't start with this one or you will most likely be left bored, disappointed and confused to what all the fuss is about. (Im not kidding - NOTHING happens in this book).
For fans of the sookie novels probably buy it just in case charlaine harris gets this series back on track. If she doesn't i won't be holding on to these books much longer - i only keep books i will re-read and this was nothing special. I have pre-ordered the next one - I live in hope.

Oh and just to get really picky to wrap this up - what is with the cover art? Lafayette may be live and kicking on Trueblood but he died ages ago in the books and so certainly shouldn't be on the cover of this one! Oh and Jessica was a creation of the TV show and has never been in the books at all. love the logic with that one!

One person found this helpful

Alicia

Keep going!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2012

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I really like these books, and have read the 10 in the series in about 3 months. I agree with what people have written in some other reviews - yes, it does get a bit annoying that Harris has to refer back and give a summary of the characters every time, and remind you of obvious things like her telepathy. I do wonder why you would choose to read this book as a one off, though? Surely you would read the first book in order to get the full effect? Anyway...

As the tenth book, I wasn't blown away. I (probably wrongly) assumed that there would be more finality to the characters, and when there was about 20 pages left I was getting a bit tetchy, wondering how she was going to tie up all of these loose ends in such a short space! The subsequent ending was adequate, but I don't feel like it gave any more closure than any of the previous books had. Perhaps that's the idea and there will be a further five books? I'd quite like to see more focus on Eric and Sookie's relationship, and an endgame, as opposed to this will they / won't they thing.

There's a good chance I'm comparing the format to the Twilight books, but I suppose you can't do that, really. All in all I would say that whereas the Twilight books FAR surpassed the films (although they're still worth watching and I did like them), I think that the True Blood series is doing a fantastic job of translating what Charlaine Harris has written and may even be better. Shame they can't make them fast enough!! Read the books, though, because if nothing else the plots differ from the TV show, and they are a bit addictive (guilty).

One person found this helpful

Starfish57

Charlaine Harris jumps the shark

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2012

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Unfortunately, Charlaine Harris's excellent premise, that other-than-humans interact with ordinary folk, appears to have led her to plot tangles that disallow that oh-so-important suspension of disbelief in the reader. Here, even her customary good wit and humour appear to have deserted her in favour of tedious explanation, which she now finds necessary to keep her audience up to date with events including ludicrous plotlines involving faerie warfare, vampire lovers, werewolves and other two-natured beings. Those of us who have grown to admire her sassy and gutsy female characters, and deftly articulated imaginary realities will be shaking their heads with disappointment over this rather diluted version of her talent. It reads rather as a filler for a series contract; one that has run too long and is in itself evidence that the writer needs to be doing something different in order to let her skills shine once more.

2 people found this helpful

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