August 6, 2022 – The Legal Alien

Title: Living Dead in Dallas

Author: Charlaine Harris

Book Length: 291 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery, Horror

Read Start Date: May 16, 2022

Read Finish Date: June 3, 2022

Number in Book Series: 2

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck. First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn’t enjoy it).

The point is: they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, she obliges – and soon Sookie’s in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She’s supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave and let the humans go unharmed. But that’s easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly….

My Review: Sookie is back for another tale of vampires and shape shifters. The book opens with a murder mystery–Lafayette the cook at Merlotte’s is found dead in the parking lot. It was rumored around town that Lafayette was into sex parties. Could someone from this scene have done it?

We are also introduced to even more supernatural creatures — a maenad, werewolves, even other shape shifters! The surprises keep coming!

Although the opening of the book was about Lafayette (and we come back to this by the end of the book), the middle of the book takes place in Dallas. Sookie is loaned to the Dallas vampires for an assignment — read the minds of humans to find out where a kidnapped Dallas vampire was taken. Through this adventure we meet a fresh set of characters, learn about an anti-vampire organization hell bent on destroying vampires, and watch Sookie get further ensconced in vampire politics.

Another hit from Charlaine Harris!

Other Books in this Series:

Dead Until Dark is the first book in the series.

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out….Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn’t such a bright idea.

See my review of Dead Until Dark here.

Summary from Apple Podcasts: Onscreen, Bruce Willis dodged bullets and explosions in Die Hard and countless action films, making him the biggest movie star of the ‘90s. Offscreen, he dodged the tabloid press and became so determined to live a private life he moved to one of the smallest towns in Idaho. But he didn’t just want to live in Hailey — he wanted to transform it. Soon, this sleepy old mining town was home to a culture clash between Hollywood spectacle and small-town values, with real-life secret rooms, car chases, and betrayal worthy of a Willis thriller. Welcome to Haileywood. Host Dana Schwartz will be your guide.

Link to the Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/haileywood/id1582007311

No. of Seasons: 1

No. of Episodes: 8

My Review: In 2022, Bruce Willis is basically a household name. From the Die Hard series to Pulp Fiction, the Sixth Sense and the Fifth Element, Bruce Willis has become that superstar that many aspiring actors hope to one day become. Back in the 1990s, however, Bruce Willis was just gaining his fame and popularity. The only issue: Bruce Willis wanted to be recognized, but treated liked the average Joe. How can he accomplish this? By moving to the sleepy town of Hailey, Idaho, of course. But Willis isn’t happy with just living in Hailey (soon dubbed Haileywood by follow townies), but Willis also has to bring life back into the town. He begins by buying most of downtown, opening several commercial endeavors including 2 restaurants, a movie theater, and an office complex. He even buys a mansion to house Demi Moore’s collection of 2,000+ dolls (creepy right?).

This was a side to Bruce Willis that I had never known about (because he’s just an actor and not like my friend or anything), so I was really intrigued by this Podcast. It’s a look into the life of a famous person that makes him seem like a real person rather than just a fictional character.

We get to see that maybe he is an egotistical maniac who wants to have a “private” life, but at the same time contradicts this by being a public figure, sticking his nose in places where a lot of people didn’t care for it to be.

This was a really interesting podcast and a light break from my normal true crime addiction. I would highly recommend it.

Day: August 6, 2022

BOOK REVIEW: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris