Still reeling from Bill's (her vampire boyfriend) betrayal in Club Dead, Sookie Stackhouse does not really care when he takes off for Peru on his top secret project. Considering the residual angst between the two, it turns out to be a blessing he's gone when she finds Eric, the handsome, slightly arrogant local head of the vampires, wandering around with no memory of who he is or anything other than his own vampirism after being hit by a witch's curse.

Lacking his memory, all of Eric's personality drawbacks vanish, so that even as she works to solve the puzzle of what happened to him, Sookie finds herself enjoying the new Eric thoroughly. This is not her only priority, however. Her brother, notorious for catting around, has vanished, and foul play is suspected.

Is his disappearance related to Eric's problem? Investigating that takes her back into the were and shifter communities to re-encounter old possible loves and definite enemies.

This is the best of the Southern Vampire books yet. As with other popular series, the assorted heroes tend to catch most of the fans' attention. Sam, Eric, and Alcide are rapidly becoming as intriguing as Ranger and Joe or Jean Claude and Asher. Bill is more on a par with Richard Zeeman, but he's not really a factor here. Definitely pick up this book.

Ms. Harris keeps her focus on the story, making for a strong plot, never going for shock value on any level. The warmth and humor in this series has a folksy quality that is altogether charming, sure to hold onto fans for a good while.