Living Dead in Dallas - Sookie Stackhouse, Bk 2
Author: Charlaine Harris

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of real bad luck. First, her co-worker gets murdered and no one seems to care. Then Sookie is attacked - and poisoned - late one night by some weird and apparently mythical beast. She only survives because the local vampires roll up and graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it). But in return the blood-suckers need a favor.

Which is why Sookie ends up in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire, on the condition that her undead friends don't do anything, well, vampiric while she's there. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly...

Adding this one to the Otherworldly bookbox.

I'm claiming this from the Otherworldly bookbox.

Later: An enjoyable follow-on to the first book, this one features some sweat-inducing descriptions of hot weather in Louisiana (where I spent some years as a kid, so I can appreciate it), but more of the action takes place in Dallas, as per the title. Sookie winds up in some dire straits, too, and we get to meet the young-looking vampire Godfrey when he charges to the rescue. Later, Sookie has to pretend to be Eric's lover, which amuses him but doesn't strike her - or Bill - that way. (Some humor here in among the tension.)

In fact, there's a lot to discover about the vampire community at large, plus various organizations that might spell doom for them. And things are rocky at home, too; the body count is pretty darned high...

[There's a TV Tropes page for the book series, quite entertaining, but do beware of spoilers. It has a link to another page for the TV series, which is lots of fun but does depart from the novels a wee bit!]

I plan to leave this book in the Little Free Library at Pine Manor College at around 4 or so; hope someone enjoys it!