Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Barmaid Sookie Stackhouse has always been able to read the minds of the people around her. But it certainly isn't an easy thing to handle, knowing what people are thinking about you every minute, and hearing the ugly thoughts they usually know better than to say aloud.

Recently, though, she found out that there was a reason for her ability. She was the great-granddaughter of an honest to God fairy. Her great-grandfather, Niall, was happy to see her, and Sookie was glad that she had relatives that were still alive besides her werepanther brother Jason. At least Niall approves of her, and put her in touch with some of her fae relatives, even though some of them spook Sookie.

Now, the world's Weres and Shapeshifters are about to reveal to the world that they exist, the same as the Vampires did years back. Sookie, who knows that Sam, the owner of Merlott's, the bar she works at, is a shifter, is waiting with the others who know as one Were shifts into a wolf on live TV. At the same time, Sam and Tray, who is a werewolf, shift right in the middle of the bar. None of the patrons outright freak out, but Arlene, one of the barmaids, who is a member of the Brotherhood of the Sun, an anti-vampire organization, freaks out and quits, claiming that Sam lied to her. She seems more upset that others in the bar don't seem to share her distaste, except for the two other members of the brotherhood.

Life seems to go on just fine, but at the end of the night, Sam gets a call telling him that his father shot his mother when she changed in front of him. Sam has to go and visit his mom in the hospital, because his father is in jail. He leaves Sookie in charge of the bar while he's gone, and he doesn't know how long he'll take. Then, Sookie gets a visit from Bobby Burnham, one of Eric's men, who detests her. He asks her to come by the next night and deliver a package, which he gives Sookie, to Eric. She agrees, and takes the lumpy bundle of velvet tied with a bow.

The next day, after work, Sookie takes the bundle to Eric at Fangtasia, without ever once having looked inside it. It holds the same knife that was used in the blood exchange between the King and Queen of Vampires at their marriage, and Sookie's having delivered it means that she has chosen Eric as her master, and can't be stolen or co-opted by any other vampires without his permission. Sookie is enraged that Eric would do something like this without telling her or clearing it with her first, and she leaves angry with him again, even though she still wants him. But she's not sure if it's the blood bond they share, or actual feelings.

The morning after, at home, Sookie is surprised from a visit by the FBI, who seem to think that she has psychic powers. Sookie tells them she doesn't, but she gets real antsy about coming to the attention of the Feds. Before they can spend too much time questioning her, though, she gets a call from Antoine telling her to come to the bar. A body has been found crucified at the bar.

Sookie, followed by the agents, hurries over, and finds her sister-in-law Crystal, crucified on some pieces of wood in the backyard of the bar. This attracts the attention of the FBI agents, who say it could be a hate crime. They naturally look to Sookie's brother, Jason, as the culprit, but he definitely didn't do it, and he has a witness to testify to where he was that night. Jason himself comes by, and is broken up about her death, since she was pregnant with his baby, the crucifixion made her lose it, of course. He wants in on killing whoever did it, and he asks for Sookie's help to find the culprit. She agrees.

Meanwhile, Sookie discovers that her Great-Grandfather's enemies want her dead, one of his sons disagrees with him about humans who carry fae blood, and this son, Breanden, thinks they are a blot on faekind and are responsible for stealing the fae's magic. So he's doing his best to wipe out the human-fae crossbreeds like Sookie, and she's high on his list for elimination. Sookie worries a bit, but when a man appears as she is weeding her flowers and says he's going to enjoy killing her, she instinctively reacts to his rush by stabbing him in the stomach with her iron trowel.

This kills him dead, and then she has to deal with the aftermath. Things are serious now, and she needs real protection. Luckily, she's owed favors by both the local vampires *and* the Weres, and she can call them in. But soon all three factions are drawn into the war between the Fae, and no one will be able to stand aloof. Will Sookie be able to survive when so many fae are gunning specifically for her? And what about the humans who want to use her to avenge the killing of Crystal by using her for a body? And is there any hope for her and Eric to ever be sure of their relationship?

This book starts with a bang, with the outing of weres and shapeshifters across the US and the world by common consent. Though the reaction of people is only somewhat dealt with in this volume- mostly because Sookie is too busy to read the newspapers or watch TV for the most part, you can tell that this is going to carry on into other volumes as well.

The fae, also, are decisively dealt with by the end of the volume. The fae may have won the fight, but lost the war, based on the ending. I guess we'll just have to wait and see about what really happens. Sookie's life is going to change yet again because while some ties have been cut, she still can't trust the others. And I must say I'm glad that yet again, the number of Sookie's admirers have been cut down. That was a little annoying, but her life still remains in turmoil.

I really liked this book, even if the cost in characters are high, the story was good enough to really sink my teeth into. I liked it, and I recommend this series as well as this book. Will Sookie ever be happy with just one man, and will she be able to trust her relationship with him? We'll have to wait and see. Oh, yeah- and three cheers for the return, in however small a part, of Bubba!