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Sookie Stackhouse #3

El club de los muertos

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Solo hay un vampiro con el que Sookie Stackhouse se relaciona, y ese es Bill. Pero desde hace algún tiempo está algo distante: tanto como que se ha ido a otro estado. Eric,
su siniestro y atractivo jefe, cree saber dónde encontrarle. Sin pararse a pensarlo, Sookie pone rumbo a la ciudad de Jackson, Misisipi. Allí encontrará el Club de los Muertos, lugar de encuentro un tanto peligroso en el que la elitista sociedad vampírica acude a pasar el rato y engullir un poco de sangre. Cuando Sookie descubra que Bill la ha estado engañando con otra mujer, ya no estará segura de si querrá salvarle... o sacar punta a unas cuantas estacas.

252 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2003

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About the author

Charlaine Harris

280 books36.3k followers
Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.

The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.

Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.

Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.

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5 stars
81,221 (33%)
4 stars
94,103 (39%)
3 stars
53,569 (22%)
2 stars
8,490 (3%)
1 star
2,285 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,203 reviews
Profile Image for Jilly.
1,838 reviews6,478 followers
June 30, 2015
Sookie has never been the brightest bulb in the pack, but she hits an all-time low in the intelligence department in this book. Her most grievous offence, in my eyes, is that she continues to pine for boring, bland Bill throughout this book. Bill is not only boring, but he's a cheating asshole.

Why Bill is an asshole list:

1. He is boring
2. He has no sense of humor
3. He is filthy rich and yet lets his "love" scrape and scratch to live in poverty
4. Even if he wasn't rich, he never brings her flowers or does anything thoughtful for her
5. He is heavy-handed and calls her "mine" as in ownership (refer to 3 & 4: is that how you treat "yours"?)
6. He lies to her about where he is going
7. He is cheating on her
8. He viciously bites her
9. He rapes her
10. Even after attacking and raping her, he has the nerve to think they should still be together

So, I hate Bill.
kill bill photo: kill bill title_Kill_Bill_volume_1_blu-ray.jpg

So, Bill the Cheating, Raping, Asshole gets kidnapped while he is out cheating on Sookie. What does Sookie do?
A) Say "Good riddance to bad rubbish" and move on with her life while laughing manically
B) Let Erik and the vampires handle it because it's not her problem anymore
C) Turn her own life upside down to run out to save him while crying like a little bitch about how much she misses him

Personally, I would pick A. But, Sookie isn't me, or even a normal human being, because she picks C and runs off on a rescue mission for a guy who was literally planning on not even telling her that he was dumping her for another woman. This pissed me off to no end!

But, at least we get Alcide, the werewolf. Alcide is a stand-up guy, and guess what? He can be out during the daytime! A big plus in a relationship. He and Sookie are partnered up to infiltrate a vampire club to see if they can get any info on Bill the Dickhead. And, of course, they do - and Sookie gets hurt - again...

And, there's Eric, who is completely awesome and wants Sookie as well. (For an uneducated, poor, white trash barmaid, this girl is somehow irresistible to every male south of the Mason Dixon Line.)

Why won't Sookie choose Eric? He actually possesses a personality and sense of humor.

Plus, look:
eric bill true blood photo: Bill & Eric 40194_125222244192748_100001149197444_124870_6718376_n.jpg
is there really a choice here?

I just don't get it.
Profile Image for Baba.
3,820 reviews1,274 followers
June 3, 2022
True Blood book 3:- Bill is kidnapped and Eric sends Sookie and a Were called Alcide to find him. Yep, Alcide's debut in the book series. Bubba (Elvis?) is also back. This book series didn't really work for me; as for me the entire franchise was engulfed by the TV show before I knew these books existed... this is why I (usually) like to read the book first. 5 out of 12.

2010 read
Profile Image for Beth F.
406 reviews367 followers
December 17, 2008
With Sookie as her mouthpiece, Charlaine Harris opened up the floor for the discussion of genre fiction in this latest installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, because it turns out our sweet little friend Sookie proudly claims a self-education through none other than two of the least respected forms of the genre novel: romance novels and trashy mysteries.

The snob in me wants to snort in disdain and feel offended for liking Sookie. But the other half, the half that isn’t afraid to admit that I was not born into la crème de la crème or even worse, raised by pretentious wannabes with a bad case of sociale climbitis, oh yes, the earthy half just smacked that snob and told her to STFU, because Sookie is good people.

Plus, I also claim an affinity for horribly embarrassing genre fiction. :P

All that said, these books certainly aren’t for everybody. They aren’t serious. Harris isn’t going to change the world or even open your eyes to a new way of self perception. But for a fast, light read I would not hesitate in recommending this series to just about anyone who digs vamps and weres.

At this point, I’ve read the first three. The first one was okay. The second was better, but it was in the third one that I started to feel a personal connection to the characters.

Sookie + Bill = meh. I’m not a big fan and really am rooting for Bill to go away very, very soon. Mostly because I really can’t tolerate facial hair and I have this picture of Bill with a set of horrible mutton chop sideburns a la Civil War era.

Like this: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.a...

Or this: http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/me...

AAHHHHH! NO, NO, NO!!! Not even the image of a clean cut Stephen Moyer from HBO’s True Blood can erase the picture my imagination has drawn of Bill. Right or wrong, it’s there and I can’t stop focusing on it.

Sookie + anybody else = yes! Sookie is young and she’s not the kind of girl who should marry the first guy she sleeps with. I also get the feeling that she’s smart enough to figure out that fine line between sexual experimentation without turning into a sl*t. So she needs to get off the Bill parade already and go do it with somebody else!

Sookie #4, here I come!
Profile Image for destiny ♡ howling libraries.
1,882 reviews6,117 followers
December 12, 2022
#1 Dead Until Dark ★★★.5
#2 Living Dead in Dallas ★★★★
#3 Club Dead ★★★★★

“I don’t like having feelings,” Eric said coldly, and he left. That was a tough exit line to top.

This is the first installment in the series where we barely spend any time with Bill at all, and this is my first 5-star rating in the series. Coincidence? I think not.

I loved this one so much. I could barely put it down because I was having so much fun learning more about Sookie's world, spending time with Eric, and meeting all of these exciting new characters (like Alcide, who is precious even if he's a little misguided at times, heh). I would've liked to see a little bit more of Sam and the rest of the Merlotte's crew, but at the same time, it was fun to spend so much of the book in a brand new area.

I also felt like the stakes (ha) were a lot higher in the drama of this installment than the two before it — maybe that's just me, but it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat a bit more. This series isn't without its problems by any means, but I'm having so much fun with it and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Profile Image for Fabian.
988 reviews1,971 followers
March 5, 2020
The adventures continue & this one breaks from the original romance into very bizarre terrain. Still terrific enough to make me keep reading 'em.

Everyone around Sookie is threatened, & she gets beat up in every single book. She endures so much and how much time has elapsed? Actually two seasons... only half a year! That she endures so much and the fact that the plot breaks at times, goes many places except where you think it will go (main characters can die within two pages, sometimes 2 paragraphs... no one is safe... all is fair game!), all this is so admirable & new & rad to read.
Profile Image for Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile.
2,261 reviews881 followers
February 27, 2021
This one wasn't as good as the previous ones, in my opinion. The plot was good, but the characters tended to be on the annoying side. There also definitely wasn't as much excitement and tension.
Profile Image for Beatriz.
917 reviews827 followers
July 24, 2020
Esta serie es un vicio. Me ha encantado esta tercera entrega aunque sufrí mucho por Sookie y su desamparada sensación de soledad, la cual creía superada gracias a Bill… pero ya ves, Bill también se aleja y todas las señas indican que la abandonó sin ninguna explicación, para volver con un antiguo (y bien antiguo) amor. Pero cuando nuestra heroína descubre que el viaje de Bill ha desembocado en su secuestro, a pesar de la traición va en su ayuda, ya que sabe que su don telepático será la única forma de encontrar alguna pista para rescatarlo.

A partir de ahí, la acción no da respiro y la autora juega con los sentimientos de Sookie junto con los de sus lectores. Personajes conocidos, así como muchos nuevos entran en escena en un argumento bien elaborado, a pesar que la autora se guarda varias explicaciones en el tintero, asumo que para retomarlas en futuras entregas.

Este es el libro que ha dejado el enganche más obvio para el próximo de la serie, y a pesar que ya lo tengo en la mira, voy a dejar descansar un ratito a Sookie y sus Vampiros Sureños.

Reto #15 PopSugar 2019: Un libro con una criatura extinta o imaginaria
September 23, 2015
Going off challenge here for a little bitey reading with my girl, Kristin.... Saturday, March 7

Review



First things first, idiotic MC rant time! Things Sookie sucks at:

- Picking men! (more on this later)
- Being self-aware!
- Not being a judgmental pratt
- Wearing anything that’s not entirely tacky.
- Appearing anything like intelligent.

I didn’t mind this installment of the series, for the most part. I liked the addition of Alcide and while no one can out gun Joe M., I found his character rather endearing. I enjoyed the malicious addition of the shifters and werewolves to the overall story.

The writing, of course, was still a snore and a half…. Especially at the beginning of the book. (What the ever-loving hell was the point of all the random shit she was doing around Bon Temps?! And scrabble…. Really?! Scrabble?!)

And now comes the BIG GREIVANCE!!!
I am spoiler tagging this for your own good, guys!



Profile Image for _inbetween_.
227 reviews65 followers
June 19, 2008
Annoying, boring, charmless, dumb. Since I was already on a roll of unpleasant books, I finally forced myself to read my second (her third) novel (the magazine SFX had made me import two with their misleading review).

After a typical (cold, boring) interlude showing how irresistable he is (he wears flanel and has hair), vampire Bill disappears at the start of the book and readers are supposed to be stupid enough to fear for his life. Even if Sookie's feelings hadn't been so badly written, I still wouldn't have cared. Bill, like the other vampires, embodies everything I dislike, but supposedly titillates the majority of readers, since vampire novels are now a genre of their own. There is the huge difference between the heroine and her super man that are meant to make it sexier, resulting in off-putting sex as the garnish on a deeply conventional reactionary relationship.

This time dear Sookie once again gets lusted over and groped by a number of men that are supposed to be erotic due to being supernatural. She is still the most beautiful woman, all natural, as she confesses, but the rubbing up to werewolves et al is only pretend sizzle, because she never has sex with anybody but her husband, whom she supposedly loves although mostly is just angry at or afraid of (which supposedly is meant to be erotic) - who btw isn't her husband so she misses cooking him breakfast and she cannot accept his money because they are not legally married. It's a constant praise of the simplest of minds, of the housewife that obeys all the traditional rules for women and gets rewarded by being the object of lust of "wild" (mostly just in their hair styles) men.

I had to stop reading now after she proudly Mary Sued that she got all her education from "genre reading" (although she likes to quote difficult words from her word-a-day calendar too) and toddled off for that wonderful luxury females indulge in, a beauty make-over.


*sigh* Once more into the breach, I go, once more into the breach ...


ETA: After various killings and threats of torture, lil Sookie seriously thinks the following: "Somehow, it had never crossed my mind - I guess since I'm an American - that the vampires who had snatched Bill might be resorting to evil means to get him to talk." AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH I would tear out my hair but really I should tear out Harris'.


FAZIT: A bloody Mills&Boone novel, the only difference being that the men alternately defending or threatening, but always lusting after the safely bland heroine are "supernatural".


BOTTOMLINE: the pervasive trend in current?genre fiction seems to be self-satisfaction. The heroines and possibly the writers night not even be aware of it, but OTOH I noticed it's no longer considered negative and egocentric but positive and strong to state how great oneself is. And never mind the obligatory asides meant to indicate self-doubt: the annoying women from the novels of e.g. Raybourne and Harris are 111 percent sure of their superiority, any lack of knowledge being part of that parcel of perfection.

But towards the end of the book, the reading was easier. That was partly because Sookie was badly beaten up (yay), partly because all the previous action or violence tended to be covered by one sentence, the rest was her moving between bars and flats and petrol stations and doing her nails. To top off the tedium, it ended in a bit of a cliff-hanger, with Eric (yes, he is a Viking) still in better graces than bf Bill, although the next novel might uncover misconceptions. Whatever *puts it up for mooching*
Profile Image for Jessica.
59 reviews23 followers
February 25, 2009
Yes, I'm still reading this series. Great literature? Hell, no. An enjoyable, sort of mindless read, sure. There are parts that I find very funny, such as Sookie using her "word of the day" calendar to improve her vocabulary and the part where the Viking vampire Eric mentions that he took English as a second language in a community college course in the 70's. That sort of stuff is pretty humorous. The parts that annoy me are the writer's fashion sense. It kills me when I read her description of Sookie being all dressed up in bright red satin, with matching red fingernails and toenails, with (insert barf noises here) long sleeves you slide on separately. You know the author thinks that Sookie is incredibly stylish and beautiful, yet I keep having bad 80's fashion flashbacks. Also annoying are ALL the vampires. Seriously, they have no redeeming factors to me. I much preferred the werewolf character, Alcide, and I hope they keep up his relationship with Sookie in successive books. I am so over the vampire Bill. I couldn't figure out the attraction of him in the first place and in this book he cheats on Sookie. Puh-lease. He is so dead to me. (pun intended).
Profile Image for Angela.
Author 6 books68 followers
October 3, 2008
Club Dead for me is where the Sookie Stackhouse series really starts getting its feet under it. Things are definitely not well between Sookie and her boyfriend vampire Bill, and as Sookie heads to Mississippi to track him down and rescue him from lethal peril, she is torn between the attentions of the werewolf Alcide--and way more attention than she'd like from the vampire Eric, who is growing more and more interested in her with every book. Unfortunately for Sookie's peace of mind, the interest is becoming mutual. ;)

Only on my re-read through this book did I realize that this is actually one of the things I respect about this series: that it is possible in a long-running series for relationships to shift and evolve, and sometimes not necessarily in a positive way. The love interest in Book 1 need not be the love interest in Book 3 or Book 4. And love interests may never progress past the stage of "potential". There have been times in the Sookie series where I've been weary of every single supernatural male in her vicinity being interested in her, but the re-read I'm doing is shifting my opinion on that, I'm pleased to note.

I liked seeing a bit more of Tara Thornton, who I'd completely forgotten about from before--and who is an interesting contrast to her TV counterpart. Look also for some great Eric participation in this plot towards the end, as well as excellent appearances by "Bubba". My only real beef about this book is that the reason why Bill is abducted in the first place feels kind of thin. But the Eric mileage here is nifty enough that I'm willing to overlook that! Three and a half stars.
Profile Image for Pam Nelson.
3,590 reviews111 followers
June 1, 2017
❤ 4.5 Club Dead Stars ❤

Ok soo Bill and I are on the outs! I can’t help it I don’t like him with Sookie especially in this book!!

I like Alcide but dude needed to get his head on straight about his ex damn women had him all tied up in knots.

I love Bubba! Can you imagine (Elvis as a vampire!) Ha

I am just going to say it.. I like Sookie with Erik well for right now I do, :p we will see.

Over all I really enjoyed this book I didn’t find my mind a wondering and I was hanging on every word. So 5 stars!

I just want to see Sookie torture Bill a little more.. hahaha

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
Profile Image for Geraldine O'Hagan.
124 reviews154 followers
May 28, 2012
Terrible.

Worst line:
"Somehow, it had never crossed my mind—I guess since I'm an American—that the vampires who had snatched Bill might be resorting to evil means to get him to talk."

Is Sookie that naive? Is Harris that naive? If only there was some irony intended here. But no, it would seem that the moral centre of these books is the concept of goodness as represented by America, Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, a wondrous country so tolerant that even Vampires can be accepted without difficulty by All-American dumb blonde Sookie Stackhouse, a woman who dreams of cooking for her man and enthralls a club full of vampires and assorted supernatural beings via a sexy dance she vaguely remembers from high school. Sookie's world is populated entirely by immature sex perverts who are driven mad with lust by her blonde hair, big breasts and massive stupidity. Meanwhile she continues to maintain a surely faux-naif wide-eyed shock at all the people obsessed with "little-ol-me", concurrently with being a nymphomaniac who only has to see a man's bare chest to become distracted from her usual train of thought, clothes.

Other than a series of sexual assaults and a rape, all of which seem to pass Sookie by without effect, and a series of beatings and assaults, which do elicit a certain amount of grumbling, the plot is a dull mix of Sooke trotting about wherever she is told to, with whatever companion she is instructed to trust, until by luck she ends up where she needs to be to free the increasingly sidelined boyfriend/ex Bill, kidnapped for reasons of plot-forwarding. Meanwhile we hear much about Sookie's various outfits, her make-overs and the various people with whom she would like to have sex. Throughout, the text is offensive to women, people with some understanding of American history, and pretty much anyone else with a brain.

Pathetic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Erin .
1,428 reviews1,455 followers
June 8, 2018
Not as fast or fun a read as the previous two books in the series. Although I'm not sure its really the book's fault. As anyone who reads multiple books at the same time can attest to, you often become more engrossed in one book and forget the other books you're reading. I also tend to read based on my mood and I'm not in a light and fun fantasy mood right now.

Club Dead probably isn't any less fun a read then the first two books but my mood has changed. I've spent the last two weeks battling migraines, so I've been rather cranky and moody(I've been a huge BITCH). So I've been reading a very dark and twisted book series.

I'm going to take a mini break from this series just until my mood lightens. I still plan to finish this series by the end of the year.

Also I just have to mention this, Bill attempts to rape Sookie and she later apologizes to HIM. WTF???

I didn't like Bill before because he was boring now I hate him. And I don't wanna hear any excuses just NO!

Hooked On Books Read-A-Thon.
Profile Image for Wanda Pedersen.
2,103 reviews455 followers
March 27, 2019
2019 Re-Read

Just as telepath Sookie enjoys resting her mind around Vampire Bill, whose thoughts she can’t hear, I enjoy resting myself in this series that I’ve read and enjoyed before.

Although Sookie spends a lot of time in this book rescuing Bill, despite the fact that he’s a lying, two-timing vampire, I like it because she finally takes ownership of herself. She starts to realize that she’s being played: Half of me (pathetically) wanted to let him know I'd kept the faith; half of me wanted to get in the toolshed and sharpen me some stakes. Yes, Sookie, I think we’ve all “sharpened some stakes,” in our fantasies!
“They found the corpse in the closet of Alcide's apartment, and they hatched a plan to hide his remains." Eric sounded like that had been kind of cute of us.

"My Sookie hid a corpse?"

"I don't think you can be too sure about that possessive pronoun."

"Where did you learn that term, Northman?"

"I took 'English as a Second Language' at a community college in the seventies.”

Also:
Bill said, "She is mine."

I wondered if my hands would move. They would. I raised both of them, making an unmistakable one-fingered gesture. Eric laughed, and Bill said "Sookie!" in shocked admonishment.

"I think that Sookie is telling us she belongs to herself," Eric said softly.”

Oh how clearly Harris shows us how complicated our relationships are and how badly we can be hurt when they go awry.

*****

Original review

The third installment of Sookie, and I feel that she represents many of the best qualities of a Southern woman. Her appearance is important to her, but beneath that obvious outer layer, there is a strong, tough woman lurking, one who can handle a shotgun or a baseball bat. She’s no shrinking violet, more like a steel magnolia.

Sookie is generally content with her lot in life, which is small town life, and this may annoy more ambitious readers. I have some sympathy for her, having grown up in a small community. I knew that I needed to get out, but plenty of others don’t feel that same drive to leave. They are quite happy to repeat their parents’ pattern of working & raising children in a familiar place.

The addition of Bill to Sookie’s life has made it feel closer to complete, but Bill has proven that being a vampire doesn’t mean that he is ideal partner. In some ways, it’s a shame that Sookie has committed herself to the first “man” that she has ever seriously dated. This may also be a side effect of small town life—compatible partners are of limited number and societal pressure to pair up is strong.

Add to that the fact that Bill is busy providing monetary resources for his descendants, the Bellefleurs, and overlooking Sookie’s financial needs. The many “jobs” that the vampires involve her in take her away from her source of income. No one makes riches waiting tables, but one does what one must in a small town environment. Every shift that Sookie misses makes it harder to meet her financial obligations, a realistic aspect of the novel that I can appreciate as a single, working woman. But Sookie abides by Southern standards—she won’t be asking for money, Bill will have to offer.

Can Eric take advantage of this situation? He’s certainly trying to. On to the next book to see what develops!
Profile Image for Caroline.
1,201 reviews166 followers
January 6, 2009
The Sookie Stackhouse books are definitely not great literature by any means, but they're a bit like candy--hard to stop reading and very enjoyable. This third book was more of the same, and while there were times I wanted to slap Sookie (even though she gets beat up a number of times in here...again. What's with Charlaine Harris's obsession with beating the snot out of Sookie all the time, anyway?), I really enjoyed reading this.

The main thing I liked was actually the introduction of werewolves into the world, since up until now they've been a mysterious thing that no one really talks about. I've always been more partial to werewolves than vampires, so it was nice for me to be able to finally see how they fit into the world of Sookie.

I also really liked Alcide as a character, and hope to see more of him later in the series. Less of Bill more of Eric and Alcide would be a good thing to me, Bill just doesn't interest me as much as he's probably supposed to.

So far I'm really enjoying this series, but I think I'll take a break here so as not to bet burnt out on them all.
Profile Image for Buggy.
534 reviews688 followers
July 17, 2012
Opening Line: Bill was hunched over the computer when I let myself in his house.

CLUB DEAD is the third instalment from the Sookie Stackhouse series and I really enjoyed this one, having finally come to terms with the fact that this is urban fantasy and not paranormal romance. I was able to focus on the action, horror, humour and mystery aspects here and just let the romance take a back seat. Sookie is also starting to feel like a delightful, adventurous friend who I can’t wait to hear from to learn what adventures she’s been up to lately. And with the broadening of sub characters and reappearances and “sightings” from others this series is beginning to feel like coming home.

Charlaine Harris continues to entertain with a fast paced, easy writing style and original ideas. She also manages to still keep Sookie relatable enough, despite her progression into the supernatural world that we can discover every bizarre occurrence right along with her. Sookie toughens up in this book, makes some new ‘friends’ and sort of comes into her own. And although I was at first disappointed by Harris’s storyline choices for Bill (what an arse he turned out to be) Eric and the arrival of Alcide sure made up for his absence. Leaving things wide open and this reader very curious as to where exactly things are heading in the romance department.

Lately Sookie’s vampire boyfriend Bill has been a little absent, having more of a relationship with his computer and “project” then with her. When he suddenly announces that he’s taking an extended business trip to another state Sookie realizes something other than vampire business is going on. Before long the bodies start piling up at work again, after a werewolf gang member tries to abduct Sookie and ends up face to face with some hard hitting but simple blue suede shoes.

Enter the ever sexy and cheeky Eric, who informs Sookie that Bill’s been kidnapped while spending time with an old flame in Mississippi. (So much for business) Now Eric needs Sookie’s mind reading abilities to help locate Bill before they torture him to a more permanent death. Despite the obvious betrayal Sookie agrees, although she might just kill him herself once she finds him.

Sookie soon finds herself under the care of one fantastic and yummy werewolf named Alcide Herveraux. They have an immediate connection and make a great team although romantically their timing is never quite right (what with all the body dumping, ex fiancé’s and flying vamps coming to call)

Alcide is to act as Sookie’s date and guide while in Jackson, gaining her access into the otherwise off limits, Club Dead. This is where the vampire king of Mississippi hangs out whom they assume is responsible for Bills disappearance. Before long Eric turns up in another of his quirky disguises and general carnage ensues. The action in this book is non-stop with vampires and humans alike getting staked and of course it’s a full moon which brings every beast in town out to play. It’s a ton of unputdownable, bloody fun.
198jb3.5
Profile Image for Courtney.
126 reviews58 followers
April 4, 2017
"They say there's no harm in daydreaming, but there is."

There's trouble in paradise when Bill Compton is ordered to take on a top secret and super time consuming project given by the vampire Queen of Louisiana, Lorena. Giving him the time and space he needs to work, Sookie Stackhouse doesn't realize her boyfriend is missing until Eric Northmen and his two most trusted co-workers, Pam and Chow, pay her a visit. They also clue her in on some other interesting information: Bill hinted to Eric about leaving and Bill and Lorena have a romantic history together (they're blood bonded, which is a rare and ill advised thing to do between vamps).

Having an idea of where to find him, Eric sends Sookie to Jackson, Mississippi with a werewolf who owes him a favor, Alcide Herveaux. There, she'll stay in his apartment and visit Club Dead (club Josephine's) to scope out the club goers using her telepathic abilities. Luckily for her, Sookie has Alcide, Eric, and Bubba (vampire Elvis Presley) watching her back, because she gets into all sorts of trouble on this trip. Between being physically assaulted by a werewolf in the club, finding said werewolf mysteriously dead in Alcide's closet, and being staked by Steve Newlin in the process of saving the king of Mississippi's second in command, Betty Jo Pickard, things are not going as planned.

Fortunately, Russell Edginton (vampire king of Mississippi) feels obligated to help Sookie for saving his second in command, and for being attacked by a werewolf in his jurisdiction. He takes Eric (who pretends to be someone else) and Sookie to his mansion to rest and heal. Bubba, still obediently carrying out his orders, follows Sookie there and learns that Bill is being held prisoner in one of Edginton's buildings. The three come up with a rescue plan to save Bill and it works... But they're not out of hot water just yet.

They still need to survive the ruthless werewolves who want to avenge their missing pack member and figure out who killed him. There's also the matter of Alcide's jealous on-and-off shapeshifter girlfriend, Debbie Pelt, who, despite being engaged to another shifter, wants to take Sookie out of Alcide's life for good. Then of course there's the fact that Bill cheated on Sookie with Lorena, and was even planning on leaving her with out a word.

Emotionally and physically drained, Sookie recinds both Bill's and Eric's invitations as an attempt to separate herself from all the chaos. Realizing just then that she still has Bill's secret project hidden in her house and now no vampire can access it.

This book does start off slow, but the second half is packed with action! There's a lot of good character development in Club Dead, which allowed me to feel more connected to them, as well as introductions to new characters. There are some humorous parts in this book, but all the romantic drama gave it more of a "serious" feel.

I'm not a big fan of Bill's, so I was glad that he was pretty much MIA for most of this installment. I was also happy that in betraying Sookie for his ex lover, Lorena also betrays him (serves him right! lol). His absence and betrayal allowed Sookie to become closer to Alcide and Eric. There was a lot of fun "will they - won't they?" tension between the three. While I'm rooting for Eric (for now, anyway.) I think anyone would pretty much be better for Sookie than Bill. I can't say that I hate him, but he's just so bland, and boring and... Ugh!

Bubba (vampire Elvis Presley) was introduced in Dead Until Dark, but in this installment of the Sookie Stack house Mysteries he's become one of my favorite characters.

I like Alcide's character and look forward to seeing him in the other books of Charlaine Harris' series, but all that "real women" and "real man" talk got annoying. It was easy enough to look past I suppose, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. There was also a comment made by Sookie, concerning being an American and torture that also didn't sit well with me.
Profile Image for Fred.
570 reviews95 followers
September 27, 2022
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Anna Paquin / Sookie Stackhouse


This is the 3rd book in the Sookie Stackhouse series used for 3rd season of True Blood (June 13 to September 12, 2010).

wikipedia - Club Dead’s book used for True Blood (season 3)

Bill (Sookie’s boyfriend) disappears on a “secret” project & Sookie needs to goto Jackson, Mississippi, with help from Alcide Herveaux (werewolf) & Eric (vampire) to save him.

YouTube - Audio Book - (no longer available)

YouTube - Trailer

YouTube - True Blood Theme Song (Jace Everett - Bad Things) - (update)
Profile Image for Amanda.
282 reviews312 followers
September 23, 2013
Finally, I'm able to give a Charlaine Harris novel a 4 star. Club Dead is the best in the series and you can tell that Harris is beginning to work through some of the weaknesses that I've noted in the first two books. One thing that Harris has done right is to realize that, once the star-crossed lovers finally get together, the audience's interest begins to wane. As an audience, we want the "will they, won't they" tension. In Dead Until Dark, we have that tension between Sookie and Bill. In Living Dead in Dallas, the two get a honeymoon period of being together for an entire novel. But that would eventually get boring, right? And so, it should be no surprise that Sookie doesn't get her happily ever after with Vampire Bill. This isn't a bad thing as it sets up all kinds of interesting relationship possibilities for our favorite wrong-side-of-the-tracks Southern telepath. Will she fall for Alcide, the werewolf, or Eric, the Viking vampire? Decisions, decisions.

Some things that I like about the series include the working class Southern references. For instance, Sookie and Alcide actually go to a Wal-Mart at one point and Alcide, though a werewolf, has to make a living by day as a land surveyor. For the most part, the supernaturals in Harris books actually mainstream into the human world, socially, politically, and financially. They're not the independently wealthy, old money vampires of Anne Rice's world. Instead, they appear to be average people who just happen to--surprise!--be vampires, werewolves, shifters, telepaths, etc.

My one irritant: the means by which Harris severed the relationship between Sookie and Bill. It seemed so out of character for Bill. From the very first page of the novel I thought, "This is not the Vampire Bill of the first two novels." Nothing really explains this sudden shift in character, nor is his attraction to Lorena ever adequately explained. Harris whips up a short little background story told by Eric to explain this bizarre behavior away, but it just doesn't gel. Oh, well. Her only other option would have been to kill him off and I did not need another "New Moon-esque" experience of the heroine bemoaning the loss of her lover and wallowing in self-pity. At least Sookie maintains her dignity and the ending is very fitting for a spunky Southern girl with a mind of her own.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Profile Image for Jadranka.
260 reviews155 followers
February 10, 2017

Treći deo serijala Prava krv, pod nazivom "Klub mrtvih" je daleko zabavniji od prethodna dva.
Moram priznati da sam se par puta pošteno iskikotala :)

Daleko od toga da ovo delo ima posebnu književnu vrednost, ali je zabavno, pitko i brzo se čita. Meni je poslužilo da napravim presek između malo obimnijih i ozbiljnijih naslova.

U Klubu mrtvih smo između ostalog saznali nekoliko bitnih stvari:

1. Alsid Herve, vukodlak, još jedan je u nizu baja iz Sukinog harema i neverovatna je muškarčina što autorka ne propušta da nam malo-malo pa napomene...to zna da malo smara čitoaca, barem mene;
2. Suki smatra da je jako moralno posrnula i da treba da se vrati na pravi put što pre....koji god to put bio;
3. Vampiri imaju svoje kraljeve i kraljice, inače jako simpatična epizoda gde Suki dobija uvid u vampirsku hijerarhiju;
4. Iako Bila gotovo da nema, zapravo se radnja cele knjige vrti oko njega, a meni je on i dalje izrazito dosadan i nezanimljiv lik, naravno to je samo moje lično mišljenje...I am #team_Erick;
5. Vampir Baba je Kralj i to shvatite kako hoćete ;)
6. Erik <3 je zahvaljujući viševekovnom treningu tehniku ljubljenja doveo do savršenstva :)

Profile Image for Lara.
248 reviews49 followers
October 17, 2008
Notes: This is, for now, my favourite book in the series and it's not a coincidence that Bill goes missing for the most of it.
I'm quite torn about this series since, while I like the stories a lot and I'm curious about what'll happen next, I can't stand very much 2 of the major characters: Sookie & Bill. I find both of them quite annoying & their relationship just doesn't trasmit me anything...however for 2 I don't like there are some I love! First of all Eric that I liked from the start and that I find a very interesting character with his complex personality (moreover he's HOT!!!), then his two sidekicks Pam & Chow who at least have some sort of self control in front of Sookie's "charm"...cause I don't understand why all the guys fall in love/lust with her (and maybe i'm a little jelous too)! In the end i know I'll continue to read this series because I'd like to know where the story will go (hoping in some changes along the way) but it probably would never been one of my fav series in the genre even if there were the premises for being just that.
Profile Image for April Kennedy.
Author 1 book130 followers
September 1, 2019
It's a fun and engaging read. I really enjoyed all the new personalities and characters, but this book really had me missing the show! Definaltly a shade or two darker then the previous two books. Looking forward to book 4!
Profile Image for Richard Derus.
3,343 reviews2,132 followers
May 17, 2013
Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Things between cocktail waitress Sookie and her vampire boyfriend Bill seem to be going excellently (apart from the small matter of him being undead) until he leaves town for a while. A long while. Bill's sinister boss Eric has an idea of where to find him, whisking her off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. When she finally catches up with the errant vampire, he is in big trouble and caught in an act of serious betrayal. This raises serious doubts as to whether she should save him or start sharpening a few stakes of her own...

My Review: Ah, the vicissitudes of love...Sookie faces them in a very very very big way in this book. She's afraid she's losing Bill, she's afraid for Bill, she's afraid *of* Bill, and it's barely book three! She also has her fears about Bill's boss Eric, whose hold over her grows.

Sookie doesn't lack for drama in the love department. Add in a werewolf named Alcide, a superultrayummy Cajun construction worker, and you have an exquisitely delicious conundrum: Whom shall I bed, wonders Sookie?

Don't you just hate when there are several hunky men panting after you?

Yeah, me neither.

This is the most sexual of the series to date, and it's not the strongest outing possibly for that reason. The story is pretty straightforward, and it's not as if there's a lot of room for suspense. Plenty of room for "who wins the fair maid," however. Now, I am not one to whinge about some smexy goins-on, but there needs to be either more or less of them to make this work.

Still and all...the series is as addictive as cocktail peanuts. Stop now? Are you MAD?!

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Profile Image for Heather.
302 reviews13.9k followers
September 15, 2009
Once again, Harris has continued to improve from one book to the next, thought it still has its flaws. The story starts a little slow, and gets monotonous at times, but it picks up toward the end, making the overall book pretty enjoyable. These books truly are like candy for the brain.

I was very pleased to find that Bill was missing in action for most of this installment, but despite the reprieve, he still managed to inspire a whole new level of loathing on my part. I hope that Harris doesn't allow Sookie and Bill to repair their dysfunctional relationship in future books as I would be forced to stop reading in fear of exciting my gag reflex.

It was also appealing to learn more about Harris's supernatural world as details about the vamp universe remains at large, and info about shifters and weres remain vague at best, which I suspect is Harris's way of making stuff up without us being able to call her on it. Kind of a genius tactic on her part really.

The introduction of Alcide into the series was a bit annoying; does every guy have to fall in love with Sookie? And I physically cringed when Sookie talked about how great he was simply due to the fact that he had a "man" job, drove a truck and used good manners. Hello, I don't like Nicholas Spark books, if I wanted to read about bland characters, I'd go out and procure a copy of Dear John. However, despite Alcide being a card board cutout of all things dull, Eric was absolutely delicious and as always, was the main cause for my enjoyment of this book.

Sookie is still painstakingly daft as she continues to spend more than a few pages devoted entirely to her clothes and hair. I was pleased that she only mentioned her breasts once, though I suspect they were replaced with her nails as she mentions them ten times too many. They are painted gold by the way, in case you were wondering.

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