Dead Until Dark

Published in 2001, Dead Until Dark is a paranormal fantasy novel by Charlaine Harris. Set in a world where vampires are commonplace, a telepathic waitress begins a relationship with a vampire while a serial killer stalks their small Louisiana town. Dead Until Dark is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, which was adapted into HBO's television series True Blood. Harris has been an author for more than thirty-five years; she has penned poems, plays, and more than forty novels. She lives in Texas with her two rescue dogs.

Twenty-five-year-old Sookie Stackhouse lives in tiny Bon Temps, Louisiana, with her grandmother, Adele. She has no boyfriend, nor did she attend college, because Sookie has a strange ability that makes everyday interactions difficult: she's a telepath. She does her best to control this "disability," both because she has no desire to know the thoughts of others and because other people naturally resent having their minds read. Often they think Sookie is crazy.

Sookie works as a cocktail waitress at Merlotte's bar & grill. Though she is happy enough with her life, she wishes for a day when she will not feel so isolated from the rest of the world. When Bill Compton, a centuries-old vampire who is a former Confederate soldier, comes into Merlotte's, Sookie immediately strikes up a conversation with him. She has never met a vampire before, even though they are commonplace, and wants to know what they are like.



As Bill leaves Merlotte's, he is attacked by the Rattrays, a couple who steal blood from vampires to sell on the black market. Sookie intervenes and saves Bill. In the process, she realizes that she cannot read the thoughts of vampires. When the Rattrays attack Sookie in revenge a few days later, Bill comes to her aid. He gives her a bit of his blood so that her wounds will heal quickly.

Meanwhile, Bon Temps is experiencing a string of murders. All the victims are young women, and they all have been strangled to death. Stranger still, each was connected to vampires in some way. This makes the people of Bon Temps angry and suspicious of vampires, including Bill. But vampires are not the only possible suspects. The authorities are also watching Sookie’s brother, Jason, because he has previously been in sexual relationships with more than one of the victims.

Sookie tells Adele about Bill. Adele asks Sookie to invite Bill to the club of Descendants of the Glorious Dead to speak about the Civil War. Adele also invites Bill to their house. While he and Sookie go for a walk, she learns that she cannot be glamoured, the hypnotic ability that all vampires have over humans. Bill tells her that he is tired of moving from place to place. He wants to settle down and have a home again. When they return to Sookie's house, they kiss.



The next day, Sookie makes an excuse to visit Bill's house, but she finds he already has company: three other vampires and some of their "fang-bangers," humans who allow vampires to drink their blood. The vampires are wild and violent compared to Bill; they even try to feed on Sookie. However, Bill prevents them, saying, "She is mine." After the experience, Sookie takes some time away from Bill to decide if she really does want to become involved with vampires.

When Dawn, another waitress at Merlotte's, does not show up for work, Sam, the bar's owner, asks Sookie to check on her. Sookie goes to her house and finds that Dawn has been strangled. Thinking that maybe she can finally use her "disability" for something good, she goes to Bill and asks him to take her to Fangtasia, a vampire nightclub.

At the club, she meets the owner, Eric Northman, and his right-hand vampire, Pam. They discover that the murder victims all liked to have sex with vampires, but are not able to find any leads. Eric is attracted to Sookie and tries to glamour her; when he fails, she reveals to him that she is a telepath.



The day arrives for Bill to speak at the club of the Descendants of the Glorious Dead. Sookie attends the talk with Sam, which makes Bill jealous. Bill shares about his time in the Civil War and how he was turned into a vampire against his will; the audience loves him. Afterward, Sam and Sookie have dinner, then he takes her home. He kisses her, but she does not return the kiss.

When Sam leaves, Sookie goes inside and finds Adele's dead body on the floor. Investigators assume that Sookie was the intended victim, but that Adele was the one at home when the killer arrived. After the funeral, Sookie turns to Bill for comfort, and they have sex. Sookie admits to Bill that she was molested by her uncle when she was a child. He responds by killing the uncle.

One night, Sookie receives a call from someone claiming to be Jason asking her to meet him at Merlotte's. When she arrives, however, Jason is not there. Instead, she senses murderous thoughts from someone hiding in the building. She tries to escape but is cornered by Rene Lenier, a friend she has known for years. Rene hates vampires and wants to punish all women who become involved with them. He tries to kill Sookie, but she is strong enough to fight back thanks to having been given Bill's blood.



Badly injured, Sookie escapes and passes out. She wakes in the hospital where police tell her that Rene confessed to the murders. Bill also visits her, telling her that he has taken a job as an investigator under Eric so that he can help keep her safe.