Book 7 in the Sookie Stackhouse series

From the book cover: “Being surrounded by all varieties of undead, changling and preternatural beings has gotten to be nothing out of the ordinary for Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse. Still, even she has her limits. Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Sookie must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life - the oh-so-handsome shapeshifter Quinn - but also contend with the long-planned vampire summit in Rhodes.

The summit, which has attracted undead power players from all over the central U.S., is sure to be a tense situation. The vampire queen of Louisiana is in a precarious position, her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans. And there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. With secret alliances and backroom deals the order of the day - and night - Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.”

Sookie has been hired by the Queen of Louisiana to go to the vampire summit and read the minds of the human companions that will be there. While Sookie looks forward to the trip up north and seeing fellow telepath Barry the Bellboy, she is not so happy with the idea of being a witness at the Queen’s trial for murdering her husband, the King of Arkansas. Add to that a few vampire murders, fanatic anti-vampire protesters, bombs, vampire politics and the fact that Sookie’s past lovers, Eric and Bill, are on site as well as her new lover Quinn - well maybe this trip up north wasn’t such a good idea after all.

The Sookie Stackhouse novels are a treat. All the characters are well rounded, the plot moves along so quickly and smoothly that I was surprised when I reached the end of the book. I look forward to the next book. Highly recommended. - Stephanie L Bannon