53. Harris, Charlaine. Dead and Gone. 320 pages. 5.17.09.

Dead and Gone is the ninth (and latest) installment in Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" series, which had recently gained increasing attention thanks to the HBO series "True Blood" (the first season of which was based on Harris' first Sookie Stackhouse novel).

I was personally apprehensive about Dead and Gone after the extreme disappointment of From Dead to Worse. Following the seventh book (Altogether Dead), which would have allowed for any number of progressive and fascinating plot lines, From Dead to Worse seemed like Harris was backing away from a number of complicated ideas, and instead spent the novel working out the most shallow "happy endings" she could. It seemed to be a spineless attempt to smooth things over as quickly as possible, and as a reader I did not appreciate it. But now there is Dead and Gone.

The violence and horror of the series escalates as the plot turns towards Sookie's heritage, and the consequences of meeting her paternal great-grandfather. While there are other prominent events in the novel - such as shapeshifters revealing themselves to the world, following in the vampires' footsteps - this installment focuses more on Sookie and her own personal life as opposed to the consequences she faces as a result of working with vampires. As usual with Harris, loose ends from previous books are wrapped up (often in a very hasty and sloppy manner), but the bulk of the narrative is focused on Sookie's psychological development and coping abilities as she moves through a series of traumatic events.

What I found particularly compelling about this book was Harris' ability to relate the absolute horror of violent situations without lingering on gore. She gives her readers minimal details to allow them to understand the actions that have taken place, but doesn't use carnage to "sell" the events (as so many teen horror flicks do). While it seems odd to describe murder and torture in a modern vampire novel as "tasteful," that's the word that comes to mind when I think of the events in Dead and Gone. I think it adds greatly to Harris' credit as an author that she is able to depict the physicality of some very tragic events as secondary, while maintaining a focus on the plot and emotional consequences.

To fans who were disheartened by that last book I would suggest giving it another go - Harris may very well redeem herself.