Dead in the Family
Preceded by | Dead and Gone |
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Followed by | Dead Reckoning |
Dead in the Family is a 2010 New York Times Bestselling Gothic mystery novel by Charlaine Harris and the tenth book in her The Southern Vampire Mysteries series.[1] The novel was released on May 4, 2010 by Ace Books and follows Sookie as she deals with her increasingly more complicated romantic and personal relationships with the supernatural creatures around her.
Plot summary
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (April 2022) |
When the novel begins, Sookie Stackhouse is still recovering physically and emotionally from the torture she received at the hands of demented fairies Lochlan and Neave in the previous book (
The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured continues, as Calvin Norris reveals himself to his co-workers and Sam's family deals with the news of having the two-natured in the family. Certain forces are agitating for a were registration system, and the weres suspect that they are under surveillance by the government.
Sookie begins to recover from her torture at the hands of Lochlan and Neave, but still has post-traumatic stress and anxiety. She wants to kill Victor because she realizes he is a major threat to Eric, Pam, and Bill, wanting them dead. But Sookie struggles with the idea of killing Victor in cold blood, rather than in the heat of battle or in self-defense. Victor sends assassins to kill Sookie, Pam, and Bill, without success. Sookie's cousin Claude comes to live with her, claiming he suffers without the company of other fairies (his triplets, Claudine and Claudette, are now deceased). Sookie's mad half-fae uncle, Dermot, has been wandering the property for reasons unknown, as has another unidentified fairy. Sookie seeks out Bill's "sibling", Judith Vardamon, to ask for her help. She learns that Judith was made vampire by Lorena in an attempt to placate a sullen Bill, her reasoning being that having a companion who so resembled Bill's late wife would please him. However, Bill avoids contact with Judith, believing that she blames him for her vampiric state. Judith won't contact Bill because she fears and hates Lorena. Sookie contacts Judith for the sake of Bill's health. Upon learning of Lorena's death, Judith is overjoyed and happily anticipatory of her visit with Bill. Her blood serves to heal him, and the two seem to build a rapport quickly.
Sookie is called upon to babysit her cousin Hadley's young son, Hunter, who is also telepathic. She helps him with the social nuances of being telepathic. Sookie attends a trial by the Shreveport pack, to learn why the body of Basim, a new were, was found buried on her property. She learns that Alcide's second is the bloodthirsty Jannalynn, who is dating Sam Merlotte. Sookie struggles to prevent the pack from killing any of their own. Ultimately, she learns that Colman, father of the baby Claudine was carrying, is seeking revenge on Sookie for the part he perceives she played in Claudine's death. He was going to kill her, but after seeing her mothering Hunter, he can't bear to kill her, and instead wants her to be arrested. Meanwhile, Alexei has been carelessly draining people and refusing to be controlled by Appius, and Eric struggles to control him. Ultimately, Alexei attacks and almost kills Pam and Eric, and kills Bobby Burnham (Eric's "day man"), and Felicia. The stories converge at Sookie's house, where Eric kills Alexei, Colman kills Appius Livius while attempting to kill Sookie, and Dermot kills Colman. Sookie and Claude free Dermot from the spell that had made him mad.
Characters in Dead in the Family
Main characters
Recurring characters
- Alcide Herveaux
- Bill Compton
- Claude Crane
- Dermot Brigant
- Hunter Savoy
- Jannalynn Hopper
- Jason Stackhouse
- Judith Vardamon
- Kennedy Keyes
- Michele Schubert
- Pam
- Remy Savoy
- Sam Merlotte
- Tara Thornton
Nonrecurring characters
- Alexei Romanov
- Annabelle Bannister
- Appius Livius Ocella
- Colman
Reception
Critical reception for Dead in the Family was mostly positive,
See also
References
- ^ "Best Sellers May 23, 2010". New York Times. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ Review: Dead in the Family. Booklist. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ Phelps, Amy. "Harris releases new Sookie book". News and Sentinel. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ "Fiction Review: Dead in the Family". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ Smith, Sarah (18 May 2010). "Book review: 'Dead in the Family' by Charlaine Harris". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ Brown, Alex (25 June 2010). "Sex, Violence, and Family Politics: Dead In The Family". Tor.com. Retrieved 30 October 2012.