Deadlocked

A Sookie Stackhouse Novel, Book 12

By: Charlaine Harris

Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie’s heart….

Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she'd rather not know. And now that she's an adult, she also realizes that some things that she knows about, she'd rather not see—like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.

There's a thing or two she'd like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet—Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric's front yard—especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank.

Now, it's up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl's fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who's set out to make Sookie's world come crashing down.

©2012 Charlaine Harris, Inc. (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

Did we all read the same book?

If you could sum up Deadlocked in three words, what would they be?

Terrific plot build

Who was your favorite character and why?

Why, Sookie, of course! A strong woman who's not afraid to be vulnerable, and fiercely loyal to those she loves. An independent, pragmatic woman who somehow manages to roll with the myriad types of punches she's hit with. Without her, no story!

What does Johanna Parker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Johanna Parker's dynamic reading of all the Sookie books, but especially this one, brings the characters to life and holds my attention to the end. She really does justice to Sookie and to the stories. I never thought I would enjoy listening to books as much as I do reading them, but I have to say not having a physical book, and hearing the story as if watching a play, brings a whole new dimension to literature I hadn't expected, freeing my imagination to develop a mental picture quite different than when reading the physical book. Ms Parker is one of the best readers that Audible has. I don't remember learning how to read, I think I was born doing it and have always been a voracious reader, and prior to joining Audible thought of recorded books as somehow inferior. But performances like Ms. Parker's have broadened my reading horizons and, in a way, given me a taste of what vision-impaired or learning disabled individuals experience when they "read" audiobooks, a very freeing way to access literature (though I would understand they might disagree with me). It's just a very rich experience. I will look for other audio books read by Johanna Parker, and can't wait to start listening to the last book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

If you could take any character from Deadlocked out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Tough choice, but if I had to choose one besides Sookie, I'd have to say Bill Compton. If a vampire can be empathetic, sympathetic and ruthless at the same time, that describes him. His appreciation for history and culture also bring great depth to his character. I'd love to hear him talk about the transitions he experienced in our country's history, plus his emotional pain at having to leave his wife and children behind when he was turned moved me deeply. Having lost my spouse way too soon, I could identify with his pain. How does one survive that and not go crazy? Grief and survival have made him a very complex character, to say nothing of his continuing love for Sookie.

Any additional comments?

This book starts out slow, and I don't mean that in a negative way. Yes, Sookie's day to day activities dominate the first part of the book; after all, no one could constantly live at the frenetic pace some readers have come to expect in the series. Even for vampires, werewolves and fairies, life has its day-to-day requirements to survive. Nevertheless, I feel it was evident early on that there was going to be a slow but relentless build to the climax of this book, and I was not disappointed. Without being a "spoiler," I just want to say that the end of this book left me breathless. It paved the way perfectly for the last book in the series.

love

one of the best so far i couldn't stop listning to it everybody needs to read this

Light fun read

Where does Deadlocked rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really enjoyed this book. I read some complaints from other listeners that this book wasn't up to snuff compared to some of the previous Sookie novels. To be fair, I took a few years off from the series and finally got around to reading the last 2 novels. I have a long commute and this was exactly what I was looking for to pass time in the car. Light, fast paced and not requiring a whole lot of thinking on my part. This was perfect for that. I also really enjoyed the reader.

fantastic series. love the characters.......

love this series great characters and stories narration is very well done as well excellent

Love it!

The new King of Louisiana has unexpectedly shown up in Louisiana for a visit. His reasons are simple. He wants to know what happened to his right-hand man, Victor. The one he left in charge of Louisiana so he could continue running Las Vegas. If that's not bad enough, a were winds up dead right outside Eric's house during a party. With everything hitting the fan, Sookie finds that she just can't depend on Eric to uncover the answers. She decides to team up with BIll so they can figure out what's going on and clear Eric's name. This book is where we kind of start seeing the fall of Eric and Sookie. To be honest, I never really liked them as a couple anyway. I mean they were great friends. He supported her when she needed it and vise versa. They just didn't make a good couple in my opinion. It's kind of obvious in this book that the series is winding down to a close. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I've really loved reading this series. However, I do realize that not all stories can be told forever. Everything comes to an end eventually. This book was narrated by Johanna Parker. The entire series has been narrated by her. She's done a really fantastic job. I feel like if they ever do an animated version of this series, they should hire her to voice act as Sookie. I have paired Sookie's personality with her so much since listening to this series. I also love the authentic southern vibes I get from her narration. It makes me feel at home. While I can't really say this is one of my favorites of the series, I really did enjoy the book. I am getting very sad to see this series go, but I'm glad that I finally got the chance to get around to reading them. I'm also more than aware that my stubborn self will most likely reread them all again in the future. Maybe even without the audiobook. Who knows? It's one of my favorite series of all time.

I enjoyed it....

it seems this book is not a favorite among the readers but I really liked it. I tend to find sookie annoying and a bit screechy at times (which is mostly the narration) but this book was different. the is action but not really a single pivotal scene like the other books tend to have. a lot of loose ends are tied up. good read.

I Love all the Sookie Stackhouse Novels

I’m a bit of a Sookie Stackhouse Stan I read the novels in through Junior high/highshool with my best friend and my grandma. My friend and I would sit and read the books to each other trading off o. Chapters. We all absolutely adored the series! We would wait with anticipation for the next book to be released. So my review is definitely a bit biased. But I still in my 30’s continue listening to this series on audible. It’s one of the few series from my childhood that I can continue to listen to and really enjoy. I don’t typically enjoy many series with woman heroines I hate a Winey airhead female heroine. To me Sookie is the role model every little girl should have. Not the sleeping with vampires stuff but how rational she is, and tough but feminine and, always tries to do the right thing. She has manners, barmaid or not she has class. I absolutely love her as a character and as a young woman I feel she influenced my personal world view. These stories are well written the characters are well developed. I don’t understand why people like the TV show more I enjoyed the show, but I would take the books over the show any day. The longer the show went on it just got wayyyy to crazy for me. The books developed much more naturally to me. Deadlocked was my favorite book of the series so I wanted to review this book in particular. I loved the inclusion of the fairy lore I thought it really added to the story.

Big let down

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If they were into the series they'd read it anyway. As a stand alone no.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Who knows? I hear Susan Elizabeth Phillips has anew book out she always makes me laugh. I will listen or read the next book in this series even though I was disappointed by this one.

What three words best describe Johanna Parker’s voice?

a little cheesy

Do you think Deadlocked needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, this one just kinda ended abruptly. It seemed like somethings were just cut off because the author didn't want to deal with them. The thing with Claude and other faeries just leaving kinda left me feeling like the author didn'tknow what to do with them anymore. Then there is the Eric and Sookie relationship issues which just felt cold. The whole book felt wrong and just needs to be made right. It felt as if the author didn't know what to do with the series and just wanted to put something out to keep it going.

Any additional comments?

It wasn't what I expected from the other books in the series, I was disappointed, especially after the long wait for it to come out. Now I have to wait again and hope the next is better.

It's to bad it's almost over.

Would you consider the audio edition of Deadlocked to be better than the print version?

I've gotten all of this series on audible and I have listened to each book multiple times. I love this series! I enjoy being able to just turn on one of these books and go about my day. It's nice to have a story that you can just have on in the back ground.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pam is my favorite. I love her attitude!

Which character ??? as performed by Johanna Parker ??? was your favorite?

Sookie, I can't imagine anyone else trying to read these books.

If you could rename Deadlocked, what would you call it?

I wouldn't rename this one I think the name says it all. Sookie and Eric are Deadlocked in a rough situation and we can see its not going to end the way many people want or expect.

Any additional comments?

I've read several reviews from people who are disappointed by the turn the series has taken but I think we all knew this was coming and the books have progressed at a pace that feels natural. I think that we saw at the end of this one that no matter how Sookie feels about Eric and the other vampires her loyalty will always lie with the friends she had when the series started.

I loved it, very good!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES! all of this series, it has been a great adventure!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Deadlocked?

The ending, when Sookie uses the faerie object to save Sam....it was truly selfless!!!

Which scene was your favorite?

Again, the ending!!

If you could take any character from Deadlocked out to dinner, who would it be and why?

PAM!! I love her she has always been one of my favorite characters....she is splendid!!!

Any additional comments?

One more to go, I will certainly miss Sookie and the gang...this book was a very good installment to this series...2 thumbs up!!!