Dead to the World Audiobook

Dead to the World is the fourth book in the Sookie Stackhouse Supernatural Vampire series; it's also the book where readers fall in love with the character of Eric who turns into a completely different vampire. In general, Eric is a man of the world and a womanizer. He's always been interested in Sookie, but she's always rejected him because he's so manipulative. Once, he tricked her into drinking his blood by pretending he was dying and needed her to suck the bullets out, which was completely untrue. He just did it because having his blood in her helps him keep track of her and creates a bond between the two of them.

In Dead to the World: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #4, however, Eric loses his memories due to a spell cast on him by a coven of witches, and Sookie finds him running in the middle of the road, only half-dressed and behaving wildly. She takes him home and contacts his colleague, Pam, who agrees to pay Sookie some money to keep Eric safely hidden until the witches are taken care of. It turns out that Eric still knows he's a vampire but, in other ways, he has reverted to the man he used to be during his Viking days. He's protective of Sookie, honorable, and treats her with gentleness and respect. No wonder they end up falling into bed together.

Of course, there is the threat of the witches to take care of, and an alliance with the werewolves, led by Alcide Herveaux and his pack-master, helps take care of that. At the same time, Jason disappears, and we later learn that he was kidnapped by a jealous were-panther who bit him several times.

This is definitely a reader favorite, and it's the character of Eric that really sets it apart. Of course, we know there's going to be a bittersweet ending because Eric will eventually get his memories back. Still, this book sets the stage for future romantic developments in the relationship between Sookie and Eric. Plus, there are elements of mystery and action as well which keep the story interesting.

Charlaine Harris was born in Tunica, Mississippi and was always interested in writing, even when she was young. At first, she wrote poetry and ghost stories, but when she was in school at Rhodes College, she also started writing plays. A few years later, she turned to novel-writing and has been doing so ever since; her career spans thirty years. She has written the Aurora Teagarden series, featuring a librarian who solves mysteries; the Lily Bard series, also a mystery-themed series featuring a protagonist who was abused; the Sookie Stackhouse series, which have been made into the TV show True Blood; and the Harper Connelly books, which are currently being made into a TV series as well. Harris lives in southern Arkansas with her husband and three children.

"I was pretty bummed when I accidentally found out this isn't a Romance series so much as a Mystery. Not sure why...I was bummed to find out Bill was no good and Eric temporary. I guess I've become a real softie of late. Still, a good read. I find Sookie reasonable, not nearly as poorly written as Bella or Anastasia Steele....I realize that's not much of a compliment...."

— M (4 out of 5 stars)