I started this book with the intent to have an easy read before giving birth. I was usually uncomfortable at night and Dead as a Doornail didn't require a lot of concentration. Olivia came early though, so this book has been filling the small gaps of free time in my sleep-deprived, new-mommy life. Again, it has been a big perk that the story requires minimal brain power to get through. I'm starting to appreciate this series more and more for the mindless fodder it is. If I go into each book without any quality expectations I can enjoy them for the fun, fast reads they are.
Large errors still bother me though, like this one on pages 53-54 where a detective goes to Sookie's house to poke around while Sookie is at work, then heads to Merlotte's to talk to Sookie in person where Sookie gives the detective directions to her house for an interview they set up to take place the next day. The detective tells Sookie she was at her house, she doesn't need directions. DETAILS. Errors like this make the series feel mass produced and I'd like to think the author takes pride in her work no matter what. Mistakes and oversights like this say otherwise.
Dead as a Doornail keeps Sookie very busy once again. There's a serial killer out hunting shape shifters and people think it's Jason. Sookie to the investigative rescue. Meanwhile, someone is trying to kill Sookie and burns 1/2 her house down in a failed attempt to end her life. All the supernatural males in the book want to sleep with Sookie, which is a lot to deal with for a girl just trying to stay alive. Vampires are mad at her for butting into their business and werewolves are using her telepathy for their own purposes which just forces her into yet more uncomfortable and dangerous situations. She gets shot, beaten up, nearly killed twice, and cracks a rib just going about her everyday life.
The stories seem to get more disjointed and convoluted as the series goes on, almost as if Harris is attempting to include all the characters previously introduced as important in each book while adding new ones. It's getting crowded and not adding any substance to the plot line for sure.
Sookie is also becoming a less appealing narrator as the series continues. She's just not smart enough to be our narrator anymore. The events she's witnessing are too intricate for her to process in a way that gives the reader all the information they want. For example, the reader learns more about the intricacies of the Shreveport wolf pack in this book and gets a glimpse of the cutthroat politics the govern the group. Sookie's observations focus more on her aversion to two wolves fighting each other than the subtleties that lead to the election of a new pack leader.
I only have one more book in the series to read before I have to decide if I want to buy more of them. I think Sookie Stackhouse is going to take a back seat for now. I'd rather be reading Dr. Seuss to Olivia.
