Review: All Together Dead

Reviewed by Jen
 

I'll admit it.  Relationships are generally my favorite part of any book.  But I actually loved this book for the action.

A few months have passed since the events of Definitely Dead.  Sookie is still seeing Quinn, though their schedules have not allowed them much time together.  Now, Quinn hopes to change that.  With a promise that he is going to take a month off to spend with Sookie, the two finally consummate their relationship. (I have to say here, that while Eric does raise my flag, I really like Quinn. He is good to Sookie and good for her too. But I digress...)

Before he can take that vacation, Quinn needs to work that big vampire summit in Rhodes. (If you're interested, a Google search informed me that is in Michigan.)  Sookie needs to be there too, as a consultant for Sophie Ann, the Queen of Louisiana.  There are a lot of vampire politics at play.  Sophie Ann is facing a trial for killing her husband. Barry the telepathic bellboy is there as part of the Texas vampire entourage. Eric, Pam and Bill are there with Sophie Ann, as is Andre her right-hand man. The vampire summit is fantastic.  Harris plots out a captivating series of events, many of which seem unrelated at first.  Then they congeal into a larger master plan.  No detail is meaningless. Even the slightest developments mean something and tie in to the explosive end-game. And believe me, it is explosive.

This isn't to say the book is only about the action. There are major relationship developments, some with long-term effects.  Quinn is Sookie's main man here. But Eric is right there, his presence a constant reminder that there is unfinished business between him and Sookie.  And a chain of events in the course of the book brings him even further into her life than he was before. (**spoiler**) This is where they establish the blood bond that carries over into future books.  As an Eric fan, I have mixed feelings on it. In one way, it brings them together, but at the same time allows Sookie and the reader to question how much of their relationship is real and how much can be credited to the bond.

I can't say enough good things about All Together Dead. It's one of the very best in the series. 5 stars.