Dead And Gone, by Charlaine Harris

(hb; 2009: ninth entry in The Sookie Stackhouse Novels)

From the inside flap:

"For Sookie Stackhouse, the day-to-day activities of the vampire and Were communities in and around Bon Temps, Louisiana, are of vital interest. She's blood bound to the leader of the vamps, is a friend to the local Were pack, works for a man who is a shifter, and has a brother who is a werepanther. . .

"But for most of the humans in Bon Temps, the vamps are mysterious, seductive creatures -- and they don't even know about the Weres.

"Until now. The Weres and shifters have finally decided to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world.

"At first it seems to go well. Then the mutilated body of a werepanther is found in the parking lot of the bar where Sookie works. The victim is someone she knows, so she feels compelled to discover who -- human or otherwise -- did the deed.

"But what she doesn't realize is that there is a much greater danger than the killer threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings -- older, more powerful, and far more secretive than vampires or werewolves -- is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too-human pawn in their battle."

Review:

Caveat: (possible) spoilers in this review.

Another fleet-footed, pot-boilin' tale from Harris.

This time out, Sookie's dodging the questions of two FBI agents who are curious how telepaths Sookie and Barry Horowitz (aka "Barry Bellboy") helped locate survivors at the Pyramid of Gizeh hotel bombing (at the end of All Together Dead).

She's also being stalked by abattoir-minded fey folk, political enemies of her fully-fey great-grandfather, Niall.

Not only that, Sookie, along with the FBI and the local PD, is trying to figure out who murdered then crucified her cheatin'-heart sister-in-law, Crystal, behind Sam Merlotte's bar.

Like most of the previous Sookie books -- the one exception is All Together Dead -- Dead And Gone has that relatable, fast n' furious vibe that makes this continually-expanding series such a hoot to read.

Fun, often intense, surprise-filled read, this. Check it out!

Followed by a Sookie-based anthology, A Touch of Dead (which is scheduled for an October 6, 2009 release).