Deadlocked (Sookie #12) Review

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12)

Charlaine Harris 

Publisher: Gollancz

Sookie has a murder investigation on her hands. A young girl has died at a vampire party - and it looks as though her lover, Eric, might be responsible. Eric swears he didn't do it, the police don't believe him, and even Sookie isn't so sure. Nor is she inclined to take his word for it, not having caught him enjoying the victim's blood minutes before she was killed. But something strange is going on. Why had Sookie been asked to come to the fateful party a few minutes early - just to catch Eric in the act? And why had the victim spiked her own blood before approaching Eric? Was it simply because she wanted to be irresistable, or was it something more sinister? Sookie will have to find out ... but it's the worst moment to investigate, as her Fae family are having troubles of their own and Sookie is, inevitably, drawn in. And there is one last complication. The cluviel dor her grandmother left her. It will grant her one wish, which could fulfil Sookie's heart's desire. The only problem is, she still doesn't know what - or who - her heart truly desires...

The end of the Sookie Stackhouse series is in sight (for me at least as I wait for the paperbacks to come out!) and once again it was nice to revisit Sookie and her world. I find it difficult to remember that for her only two years have passed since Bill Compton first walked into Merlottes but for it’s been over 10 years. Sookie’s world has always been a mixture of the miniature of life (shopping, birthday cards, sunbathing, shaving her legs etc) with some serious violence and supernatural politics. This visit to Bon Temps was like seeing old school friends again after an absence – you remember the good times and catch up but you know you’ll never re-capture that closeness you had when you were fifteen. 

Sookie and her vampire honey, Eric are having issues – partly due to someone trying to frame Eric for murder of a fangbanger and partly as struggle to reconcile some pretty big differences in their attitudes. Adding to the difficulties are the motley mixture of fae Sookie’s cousin Claude has been collecting at his strip club and some power struggles within the local werewolf pack. One issue with Sookie’s world is the number of different plot lines that don’t always go together well – my favourite books have always been the ones that have focused on a single plot line (Vampire summit, Hadley’s murder, Bill’s disappearance etc). Here the different strands of plots meant that I struggled to follow what was going on and the climax had less impact as a result. It was like trying to follow a single strand of spaghetti on a full plate.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book. Sookie is never less than a likeable character who’s absolutes of right and wrong have become greyer over time. She’s more than happy to lie to the police to protect Eric and the vampires, yet is still kind and true in her friendships. The writing is so cosy and warm – Charlaine’s writing always makes me feel like I’m sinking into a huge armchair covered in cushions. Overall, this had a definite sense that the end is in sight with some plot strands wound up and some happy ending on the horizon. While people often say the series isn’t as good as it once I actually think the series has remained remarkably consistent over the last ten years. It’s one of the first UF (Rural) Fantasy series I read and I have never felt like dropping the series. I am looking forward to the final book in the series and think it’s right that we leave Sookie to some (hopefully) quiet time.

Recommended for fans of Rachel Caine and Patricia Briggs. 7 out of 10.

Poison Review

Poison

Sarah Pinborough

Publisher: Gollancz

A beautiful, sexy, contemporary retelling of the classic Snow White fairy tale, illustrated by Les Edwards. 
POISON is a beautifully illustrated retelling of the Snow White story which takes all the elements of the classic fairytale that we love (the handsome prince, the jealous queen, the beautiful girl and, of course, the poisoning) and puts a modern spin on the characters, their motives and their desires.

One of the first stories we ever hear are fairy tales with charming princes rescuing the sweet naive Princess from evil stepmothers and magic enchantments so these classic tales get lodged in our collective consciences. And it was with both anticipation and trepidation that I approached this adult version of the children’s story of Snow White – the ‘true story’ as it was always meant to be.

Despite the small page count – just 200 pages, this is definitely an adult version with sex and swearing, but is still simply told, managing to capture the feel of classic fairy tales. Interestingly, despite being the story of Snow White, the tale is told mostly from the point of view of other characters – the wicked Stepmother, one of the dwarves and the handsome Prince and gives a very different interpretation of their roles and motivations from the simplified version. I particularly liked getting to know Lilith, the stepmother who managed to become three-dimensional character with her own issues and her descent into wickedness was an intriguing addition to the story. The prince also has a very different role from his usual handsome rescuer position. Yet, despite these twists many of the expected notes are included in the story from seven dwarves, the huntsman, the old crone with the apple and the magic mirror, but none happens exactly as you had expected.

Overall, Poison has a charisma and instinctive appeal that will stay with you long after you finish reading with the story of Snow White in your own mind subtly different from before. I loved the wider world Sarah Pinborough hints at behind Snow White’s story with hints and glimpses of other fairy stories. This gentle teasing has whetting appetite for Charm and Beauty, two more sexed up fairy tales from Sarah coming soon.

Recommended for fans of Neil Gaiman and Malinda Lo. 8 out of 10

Shakespeare's Champion (Lily Bard #2) Review

Shakespeare’s Champion (Lily Bard #2)

Charlaine Harris

Publisher: Gollancz

Lily Bard has started over in the quiet town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, as a cleaning lady. One who works out her anger and the pain of her past in a martial arts class. For Lily, the gym is a place to get away from her troubles, not find more of them. But when she stumbles on the corpse of a local bodybuilder, his neck broken with a barbell, the town's underlying racial tensions begin to boil over. The white victim was connected to two unsolved murders of black residents in Shakespeare, and a dogged policeman is determined to stop the killing. Lily may have to decide whether to stay and fight for justice, or run away one more time.

For some reason I was convinced this was a cosy mystery series – and I really couldn’t be more wrong! There is violence of the extremes in Lily’s world with this book alone including death by beating, bombings, and racist extremists. Not that any of this is done badly, but it helps if you approach these books as a small town mystery/thriller rather than a cosy story. With this in mind it is an extremely competent mystery which starts for us with a death in Lily’s gym and ends in a big shoot out.

The writing is easy to relax into even if some of the events are not easy to read about. The town is boiling on the brink of social unrest between the black and white communities. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a city girl, or British but I find that kind of unrest in a small town difficult to understand in this day and age - I would hope that type of tension is less frequent these days (the book was originally written in 1997)!

Lily is still the same self contained survivor we met in Shakespeare’s Landlord but she seems to be forging friendships with other better even if opening up entirely isn’t easy for her. Her relationship with the local doctor, Carrie gives her some nice female friendship as otherwise Lily is surrounded by guys. A new love interest is introduced who has as much history and baggage as Lily so it will be interesting to see how this is balanced in the long term. Lily still isn’t the warmest of heroines and she likes to keep herself to herself, even in her own book, but she is constantly surprising and she is growing on me.

The murder mystery was intriguing and I have to confess I didn’t guess what was going on until near the end. This was a very good book that breaks expectations (or mine at least!) and entertained me throughout – and what more can you ask from a book?

Recommended for fans of Nora Roberts and Dean Koontz. 8 out of 10 

Shakespeare's Landlord (Lily Bard #1) Review

Shakespeare’s Landlord (Lily Bard #1)

Charlaine Harris

Publisher: Gollancz

Disguising herself with short hair and baggy clothes, Lily Bard has started a new life; she's becoming a cleaning lady in the sleepy town of Shakespeare, where she can sweep away the secrets of her dark and violent past. However her plan to live a quiet, unobserved life begins to crumble when she discovers the dead body of her nosy landlord. Lily doesn't care who did it, but when the suspicion of the police and local community falls on her she realises if she doesn't unmask the murderer, her life might not just crumble; it might also end.

This is an eminently readable story with a main character that has survived the worst of human behaviour and retreated into herself. Lily Bard keeps herself isolated in the town of Shakespeare – never getting too close to any one and cleaning other people’s homes for money. When she stubbles onto a mysterious figure disposing of a body, she finds herself coming under scrutiny from the local police force...

For the most part this reads like a cosy mystery, with a main character going about their usual business but able to learn more about the murder and victim than the professionals. However, Lily Bard is different in that her past is horrific and traumatic and this impacts her whole life. Where she is living, what she does for a living, her spare time have all been shaped by her past even her self-imposed isolation have all been shaped by one event. This makes Shakespeare’s Landlord a strange beast in that it is a fluffy light story, but with some real bite. There is a certain aftertaste that stays with you...

Lily is a scarred woman but is trying her best and makes some genuine steps forward here and I’m glad I have the next books in this series to follow her journey. I hope she is able to mend herself and find some peace. Charlaine Harris’s writing is familiar to anyone who likes the Sookie Stackhouse series and is extremely easy to read with the pages turning fast. I managed to finish this admittedly slim volume in a day. It was an entertaining read.

Recommended for fans of Ellery Adams and Heather Blake. 7 out of 10