“For all those readers who wanted every last sip of Sookie.”
And so begins the short-story collection A Touch of Dead, from popular mystery fiction writer Charlaine Harris. The collection is just that — a “touch” of stories about Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic resident of Bon Temps and friend to vampires, fairies, and shifters everywhere. The five stories are chronologically arranged to fit into Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries, most notably as the inspiration for the wildly popular HBO television show “True Blood.”
A native of the Mississippi Delta (Tunica, Miss.) , Harris infuses her childhood home into every facet of her writing. Her book Dead Until Dark made her a New York Times bestselling author. The novel follows the life of Sookie Stackhouse, a small-town Louisiana waitress who happens to be able to read minds. To make matters stranger, the invention of a synthetic blood has allowed vampires to “come out of the closet.” The book was the first in the Southern Vampire Mysteries, of which there are currently nine.
The first book in the series was widely considered groundbreaking and won an Agatha Award for mystery writing. The series is an amalgamation of mystery, romance, and adventure that breaks genre conventions.
Of the five stories in A Touch of Dead, one of the lightest is Dracula Night. It follows Sookie to vampire Eric’s Shreveport bar to celebrate the vampire holiday Dracula Night. Lucky looks at an insurance agent in Sookie’s hometown who has had an uncanny lucky streak, to the detriment of many Bon Temps residents.
“Gift Wrap,” set on Christmas Eve, is the most enjoyable story. Sookie has been inadvertently abandoned by her friends and relatives for the holidays. Not too long into the evening, she comes across a naked man in her backyard (fans of the series will know that this is less uncommon than one might think). The reader is privy to some steamy events and discovers a little more on Sookie’s familial background.
“Fairy Dust” provides information on the ambiguous death of the fairy Claudette. (SPOLIER ALERT) “One Word Answer” is probably the most necessary of all the stories. It provides background on Sookie’s relationship with the Queen of Louisiana and some insight into her cousin Hadley’s murder.
This collection is by no means necessary for readers just trying to get through the Southern Vampire Mysteries. However, it provides some relevant information for Sookie fans. The collection is full of classic Harris — characters are very well developed, dialogue is sharp and funny, and the writing style is direct and clear.
“Fairy Dust” and “One Word Answer” both provide a lot of background on events that were fairly vague in the series. The main characters in these two stories frequently appear throughout the series. The information is extremely helpful to get a better understanding of the situations surrounding several deaths that occur.
A Touch of Dead is a nice addition to the Southern Vampire Mysteries, timed especially well as the television version recently concluded for the season. Halloween is a fitting time because of the complex group of mythological creatures featured in the series. For fans of Sookie Stackhouse, A Touch of Dead is the perfect companion.