Dead Until Dark: A Different Kind of Vampire Story

Dead Until Dark was written by Charlaine Harris. This book is only 260 pages long so it is a quick read. This is a vampire story but it is a different type of vampire story. Dead Until Dark is a story that revolves around a small-town waitress named Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie has an ability that she considers to be a “disability”. Her disability is that she can read the minds of the people around her. Sookie has had to learn how to put up a mental block to keep the thoughts of others out of her head.

One night while Sookie was working in the bar, a handsome man walked in. Immediately Sookie knew he was different. Then Sookie realized what that difference was….He was a vampire! His name was Bill Compton and Sookie was intrigued when she noticed that she could not read his mind. She enjoyed the silence for a change.

After watching Bill for a while, Sookie realized that she was hearing the thoughts of a murderous couple who were also in the bar. She “hears” that the couple is planning to attack and drain Bill. Sookie knows that she can’t just stand by and allow this pair to attack Bill so she follows Bill out to warn him. Bill is just as intrigued by Sookie as she is by him. Bill noticed that Sookie was a very unique human and was curious to find out why she was so different.

Bill and Sookie quickly become more than friends. Right when Sookie starts to relax and enjoy her life, a murderer strikes the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The murdered women were found strangled to death and they also had old vampire bite marks on their bodies. The town people start looking in the direction of Sookie’s beloved Bill. Then suddenly the authorities start looking to Sookie’s older brother Jason as a murder suspect. Now what’s a mind reading waitress to do? Anything she can think of, that’s what!

With a murderer on the loose, Bill and Sookie feel that the must start an investigation of their own. During their sleuthing, Sookie meets many new, interesting and definitely dangerous vampires. Including one VERY popular man, who is now a vampire, from Memphis. You don’t want to miss this “sighting”.

Dead Until Dark is very interesting with many twists and turns. It has a lighter air about it and it isn’t your normal dark vampire story. In my opinion, Dead Until Dark is as good as any novel Anne Rice has produced, only in it’s own unique way. It has a great mixture of humor and thrilling suspense. You can’t help but notice the nice southern feel of this book also. It definitely makes the Georgia girl in me feel right at home. You will be entranced by the characters and you will not want to put the book down until you are finished.

Check out Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. You won’t regret it!