Book #51 week #39, Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Dead as a Doornail opens on the first full moon since Jason was bitten by a werepanther. The bites were effective and Jason does change into a half man, half panther. Instead of being frightened by this Jason is excited. In the meantime, while standing outside talking to Sookie, Sam is shot in the leg. Since obviously Sam will be unable to tend bar for awhile Sookie asks Eric if he can spare anyone to help out. Eric agrees to let the bar borrow his new employee Charles Twining. Charles is a charming, one-eyed, pirate vampire and after a night or two staying with Sam, Sookie reluctantly agrees to let Charles stay with her.

Along with Sam being shot so are other shape shifters and weres. Some are killed and some are injured, like Calvin Norris who has to stay in the hospital for while after being shot in the chest. Although he wasn't shot, the head of the Shreveport werewolves is also killed. Leading Alcide to invite Sookie to his funeral. A strange event which will also determine who will run for the new lead of the pack. Alicide's father will be running for the spot against a man named Patrick Furnam. On a less serious note, Bill is now dating! The woman's name is Selah Pumphrey and she is quite high and mighty and bitchy. Bill keeps bring her on dates at Sam's bar, trying to make Sookie jealous I suppose, how lame is that!

One night while sleeping, Sookie's house catches on fire. Claudine, Sookie's fairy godmother, saves her while Charles is outside having killed the suspect. It is discovered that the guy is just a regular human passing through town and he has a Fellowship of the Sun card in his wallet. Sookie's kitchen and car are destroyed in the fire. Sookie takes Sam up on his offer to stay at his empty apartment rental while her house is repaired. Tara loans her old car to Sookie even though their relationship is strained due to Tara's new boyfriend; the weird and scary vampire Mickey.

While returning to her new home one afternoon Sookie is shot in the shoulder. The bullet matches the bullets from the other shootings except for Sam's. So Sookie and Sam (in his collie form) head out to look for the killer. And they find her! It is Sweetie Des Arts, the new cook at the bar who is angry she was bitten and is now a shifter so she has made it her mission to kill shifters. Sookie was targeted because she smells like a shifter from hanging out with them however Sweetie never did realize Sam is a shifter himself. Detective Andy sees the commotion, steps in to help and ends up killing Sweetie himself.

Back at the bar the phone keeps ringing. Charles is answering it and telling Sookie it is just prank calls. Bubba shows up at the back door with an urgent message for Sookie. The message is from Eric (he was the one calling) after digging in Charles past he discovers Charles is a hitman sent by Hot Rain. The intent is to avenge Long Shadow's killing way back in book one Dead Until Dark by killing someone Eric cares deeply about. Turns out Charles staged the fire at Sookie's house and murdered an innocent man in the process trying to cover his tracks. As soon as Bubba leaves Sookie is attacked by Charles but he didn't count on the humans in the bar coming to Sookie's aide. The local men manage to overpower and kill Charles. I was really shocked. I really didn't think these guys would try to take on a vampire.

Due to her concern over Tara's welfare, Sookie contacts Eric for help. Even though he was nice to Tara and showered her with expensive gifts, her old boyfriend Franklin Mott from Club Dead gives Tara to Mickey to settle a debt. Mickey is not treating Tara well and Eric agrees to remove Mickey from the picture in exchange for the truth of what really happened between him and Sookie while he had amnesia. Eric contacts Mickey's maker and asks her to call Mickey home. Before that happens though Mickey attacks Sookie and Eric. Eric gets knocked out and Mickey tricks Sookie into inviting him in the house or else he will kill Tara. Once inside he attacks her and she rescinds his invitation before she is hurt too badly. Mickey ends up leaving town due to the call of his maker. Before I get to Sookie telling Eric what happened between them let me talk about the weres first.

Sookie attends the werewolf competition for the new leader. Alcide wants Sookie there to try and pick some brains and see if the competition is fair. It is not, Sookie discovers Patrick is cheating and she speaks out about it. As punishment the last part of the three part competition will be a fight to the death instead of just until too injured to go on. Patrick overpowers Alcide's father and he is killed. This ruins the relationship between Alcide and Sookie! Aww I was so sad. I really likes Alcide. While there Sookie meets the emcee Quinn and for no reason at all the first image in my mind when reading his description is this guy:

It has been hard for me to shake this image! In my favorite part Sookie tells Eric what happened when he was cursed. The had lots of sex, which surprised Eric but not as much as the revelation that he offered to leave everything to be with Sookie. Not even the knowledge that Sookie killed Debbie and he hid the evidence shocked him as much. Bill shows up to help patch the window Mickey broke and Sookie lets it slip that Eric now knows what happened. Bill knew Sookie slept with Eric because he could smell Eric all over her and now Eric knows as well. And Bill knows that Eric knows which makes for an awkward and awesome for me moment. I am still very much on an anti-Bill kick.

Quote:
“Did we have sex?" he asked directly. For about two minutes, this might actually be fun. 

"Eric," I said, "we had sex in every position I could imagine, and some I couldn’t. We had sex in every room in my house, and we had sex outdoors. You told me it was the best you’d ever had." (At the time he couldn’t recall all the sex he’d ever had. But he’d paid me a compliment.) "Too bad you can’t remember it," I concluded with a modest smile.
 
Eric looked like I’d hit him in the forehead with a mallet. For all of thirty seconds his reaction was completely gratifying.”