My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Both Eric and Bill had had my blood, and I theirs. For the first time, I understood there was a real connection. Didn't I see the two of them as more human than vampire? Didn't they have the power to wound me more than any others? It wasn't only my past relationships with the two that kept me tied to them. It was the blood exchange. Maybe because of my unusal heritage, they couldn't order me around. They didn't have mind control over me, and they couldn't read my thoughts; and I couldn't do any of those things to them. But we did share a tie. How often had I heard their lives humming away in the background, without realizing what I was listening to?"
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris is the seventh book in the Southern Vampire series, and continues the story of Bon Temps barmaid and telepath, Sookie Stackhouse. In this novel, Sookie is preparing for the long-planned (and much dreaded) Vampire Summit, to which she must attend in the service of the Queen of Louisiana. It is post-Hurricane Katrina, and the world is one where countless vampires have been displaced, and as such the Vampire Summit is considered to be more important than ever.
Many high-ranked vampires are in attendance, including Eric, the Vampire Sherriff of Area 5, and Bill, Sookie's ex who is also in the Queen of Louisiana's employment. Also at the Summit is Sookie's current beau, Quinn the Weretiger, who works for the company responsible for putting the whole shebang together. Sookie hopes that since she and Quinn will both be at the Summit there may be the opportunity for a bit of romance, but as is always the case for Sookie, nothing ends up going to plan. So, when all hell breaks loose, Sookie and fellow telepath Barry (from book 2) make the selfless decision to risk exposure and use their mind-reading abilities to save the lives of humans, vampires and shifters alike from a catastophic event of gigantic proportions.
However, inbetween saving all these lives, All Together Dead sees a change in the relationship between Sookie and Quinn, when hidden family secrets are finally revealed. Sookie also begins to realise the extent and importance of her relationships with the vampires Eric and Bill, and when it comes to Eric, she is helpless to prevent it from developing further. To survive, Sookie must choose the lesser of two evils.
Packed full of action and fast-paced drama, All Together Dead is yet another of Harris' fun and easy-to-read instalments that leaves you totally craving more.
