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Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1)
 
 
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Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I'D BEEN WAITING FOR THE VAMPIRE FOR YEARS WHEN HE walked into the bar..." (more)
Key Phrases: dead until dark, vampire bar, synthetic blood, Bon Temps, Sid Matt, Andy Bellefleur (more...)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (638 customer reviews)
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Frequently Bought Together

Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) + Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2) + Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3)
Price For All Three: $32.27

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  • This item: Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) by Charlaine Harris

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  • Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlaine Harris

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  • Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3) by Charlaine Harris

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An author of rare talents." -- Publishers Weekly

"Harris writes neatly and with assurance." -- The New York Times Book Review

"One of the year's best." -- Science Fiction Chronicle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

For years, Charlaine Harris has delighted fans with her mystery series featuring small-town waitress-turned-paranormal sleuth Sookie Stackhouse. Now, we are pleased to offer her first novel in the series in a special hardcover edition.

And with HBO launching an all-new show, True Blood, based on the Southern Vampire novels, the demand for Charlaine Harris and Sookie Stackhouse will be bigger than ever.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Ace Hardcover (January 2, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0441015972
  • ISBN-13: 978-0441015979
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (638 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,639 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #58 in  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Harris, Charlaine
    #71 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Vampires

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More About the Author

Charlaine Harris
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› Visit Amazon's Charlaine Harris Page
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I'D BEEN WAITING FOR THE VAMPIRE FOR YEARS WHEN HE walked into the bar. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dead until dark, vampire bar, synthetic blood
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bon Temps, Sid Matt, Andy Bellefleur, Long Shadow, Bill Compton, New Orleans, Uncle Bartlett, Sookie Stackhouse, Rene Lenier, Amy Burley, Dawn Green, Miss Stackhouse, Mike Spencer, Charlsie Tooten, Grabbit Kwik, Mack Rattray, Aunt Linda, Sheriff Dearborn, Maudette Pickens, Miss Sookie, Sam Merlotte, Four Tracks Corner, Terry Bellefleur, Liz Barrett, Renard Parish
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Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1)
68% buy the item featured on this page:
Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) 4.0 out of 5 stars (638)
$16.29
Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)
17% buy
Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) 4.8 out of 5 stars (23)
$36.97
Sookie Stackhouse, Books 1-7
6% buy
Sookie Stackhouse, Books 1-7 4.7 out of 5 stars (797)
$35.24
Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9)
5% buy
Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) 3.5 out of 5 stars (606)
$14.97
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Customer Reviews

638 Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars (638 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
269 of 287 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This one grabs you by the throat..., July 29, 2001
By Susan Shedd (South Woodbury, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
sorry, that was bad! I am a big Charlaine Harris fan and only mildly interested in vampires. But the combination of a an uncontrollably mind-reading heroine, newly legal vampires, a serial killer, a shape-shifter -- how could I resist? I find I don't want to say much at all about the plot, as it's too easy to give away some really exciting twists. It's fair to say that the story postulates vampires as a newly-emerged legal minority (word is they've been victimized by superstition, when really the poor people have been subjected to a terrible virus) with attendant vampire-philics and phobics roiling the waters of cultural change. Vampires can now subsist on artificial blood, so they don't have to be a danger to anyone. Harris has thought through vampire culture and the interaction of that culture with "normal" society to great effect -- the book would be fun to read just for that .

I have to admit, though, that nothing about the vampires interested me as much as the main character, Sookie. If you think you want to be able to know what other people are thinking, the limitations of Sookie's life will make you think again. She's brave, brilliant and decent and watching her (and her sex life) develop is a true joy.

Meanwhile, the book is tightly and extravagantly plotted and the psychological effects are fascinating and disturbing, absolutely gripping. Read it over a weekend or on vacation so you won't have to put it down -- you'll just have to know what happens next!

Harris has set this up to continue as a series, and if she can continue this level of quality, people will be lining up for each new book.

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135 of 145 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A much better than average vampire mystery novel, May 22, 2001
This review is from: Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Sookie Stackhouse lives in a world like ours - except for one difference, 4 years ago Vampires "came out of the coffin" and are now a legal part of USA society. In this way it's somewhat like the situation in the Anita Blake (author Laurel Hamilton) novels, but in someways I think better written in this book.

Sookie herself is unusual with a disability that makes dating a virtual impossiblity until a vampire comes to town and she discovers he's her (almost) perfect man. Unfortunatley, at the same time people start getting killed, which most of the locals see as an unlikely co-incidence, and in a small town that can almost be deadly itself.

The author has written a very readable book here. I'm not sure if it's the start of a series or not - if it's not - then it's still an enjoyable stand alone novel. Her characters are believable and likeable, and I don't remember any slow patches that make your attention wander. In fact, I read this in a day - the sign of a very good book for me.

For those people who like fiction that covers, vampires, PSI, alternative realities or mystery fiction, this book pretty well covers all those areas. Enjoy:)

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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An Intriguing Blend of Horror and Mystery!, September 26, 2003
This review is from: Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Sookie Stackhouse has what she calls a "disability." She's a telepath. Now reading minds sounds like it might be a good thing, but as she points out it sort of gets in the way of relationships, sexual relationships in particularly. It's hard for her to have sex and enjoy it when she knows the man she's with thinks her breasts are too small or maybe he's thinking of someone else. Besides, other people's thoughts bombarding her all day drive her crazy. She works as a waitress in a bar and comes in contact with many people on a daily basis. So for her own sanity, and because she thinks it rude to listen in, she's learn to block out the noise from the minds of others. Then Bill comes into her life. He's the perfect boyfriend because she can't read his thoughts at all. That's because he has a disability of his own. He's dead. He's a vampire. Vampires have recently come out of the closet so to speak and exposed their existence to the world. All of this came about because of the creation of synthetic blood, making it possible for them to exist without preying on unwilling humans. They are the new minority and now wish to coexist with humans. Of course, the vampires-like any minority-have those who hate them. But they also have those who admire and adore them as well. These people are called fang-bangers. Three female fang-bangers suddenly turn up dead, murdered, and the vampires are quickly blamed. Fear fuels the fires of hatred and violence erupts between the humans and the undead. This puts Bill at risk. Also, Sookie fears that she's next on the murderer's list since she has a vampire boyfriend. So, with Bill's help, she uses her "disability" to solve the mystery, and in the process she puts her own life on the line.
This is an extraordinary and original book; full of charm and wit, capturing small-town America to a T. Harris blends together several genres-horror, mystery, and a bit of Gothic romance-with ease and aplomb. She has a straight forward, just between you and me kind of style that's fun and easy to read. One minute she's making you laugh, the next she's sending chills along your spine, and the next she's got you wondering who done it. This book will entertain and keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, but Not Superb
The movie is never as good as the book . . . except when Alan Ball adapts pulp redneck vampire porn into television literature. Read more
Published 1 day ago by David J. Ashby

4.0 out of 5 stars Reading with Tequila
I think Dead Until Dark had the possibility of being a 5 shot book, but I watch True Blood. I spent the majority of the novel wondering where Tara was, comparing the actors to the... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Dead Until Dark Book 1
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5.0 out of 5 stars Can't stop reading these books!
I liked the True Blood series so I found the books online and ordered a few. I found that I was fascinated by the characters and story lines, even more than the series. Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
I have never really enjoyed reading. I think because it always took me so long to read a book, so I would get discouraged and quit. I read this book in less than a week. Read more
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The first book in the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse series that has been turned into the popular HBO series True Blood is actually the basis for the first season of that... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars my review
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5.0 out of 5 stars Dead Until Dark
My friend recommended these books to me when I told her I loved the television series "True Blood" that the show was based on. Read more
Published 8 days ago by A. J. Singleton

4.0 out of 5 stars Guilty Pleasure.....
As a fan of the series True Blood on HBO I was thrilled to find out the series was based on books by Charlaine Harris. Read more
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4.0 out of 5 stars If you like the TV series, read the books!
I started on the book series because I'm such a fan of the TV series. And while I'm still a fan of the TV series, I do think I like some of the humor and twists of the books... Read more
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