Friday, February 18, 2011

Review: A Touch of Dead - The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Short Stories

A Touch of Dead (2009) includes every Sookie Stackhouse short story ever written by New York Times Bestselling author, Charlaine Harris, in one edition.

In Fairy Dust, Claude and Claudine seek Sookie's telepathic abilities to determine who murdered their sibling, Claudette.

In Dracula Night, The Area Five vampires celebrate the return of Count Dracula. While Sookie is invited to attend, there is an unexpected tasty surprise awaiting her.

In One Word Answer, Sookie receives startling news about her cousin's death, but she discovers the truth behind her murder.

In Lucky, Sookie teams up with Amelia to investigate who wants to tamper with Bon Teamps' most successful insurance agent.

In Gift Wrap, On Christmas Eve, Sookie receives a dangerous surprise and must set aside her depressing feelings to save a man's life.

I had never read any of the short stories prior to purchasing this book. However, it disappointed me for three reasons: 1) I thought there would be more than five short stories; 2) I realized Harris is not a good short story writer; and 3) the stories are arranged out-of-order. If you have not read all the Southern Vampire books, it will be difficult to pinpoint the time frame in reference to the series. Since this book is less than 200 pages, some of the stories ended abruptly. I did not have a favorite short story in A Touch of Dead; I thought the Blood Bank short story collection by Tanya Huff contained better substance. I only recommend this book to true die-hard Harris fans. Otherwise, you can easily read it in the library in three hours or less.

Stay tuned to the 12th novel in the Southern Vampire Series, Dead Reckoning
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