Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in a Louisiana bar. To all intents and purposes she is like a thousand other waitresses except for one basic fact – she is telepathic and can read minds, an ability that makes life distinctly difficult and means that she must spend most of her life shielding herself from stray thoughts.

Four years earlier vampires had made themselves known to the general public and were now recognised as a legitimate minority group with all of the legal protection that any other citizens had. So when vampire Bill walked into the bar no one was overly shocked. OK, maybe the townsfolk were curious, as Bill was the first vampire they had knowingly met, but generally they left him to his own devices.

But this was all to change when a number of prominent women were discovered, murdered, in their homes. To make matters worse, all of the women had had links with the vampire community. Soon Bill and his fellow vampires were key suspects in the police's enquiries. Sookie was sure that the killings had nothing to do with Bill but could it be that her growing feelings were preventing her from seeing the truth? It wasn't as if she could just read his mind to discover the truth – he seemed to be one of a small number of people who were immune to her abilities.

As the hunt for the killer became more intense a vampire safe-house was burned to the ground and Sookie began to realise that if she didn't discover the identity of the murderer Bill and his kind would never be safe. But what if she was to be the next victim?

Dead Until Dark is the first of the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mysteries and follows the life of Sookie, as she becomes involved in a murder investigation. Sookie has been used to being considered a freak due to her ability to read minds but when she meets Bill and discovers that his mind is closed to her she finds him all the more fascinating.

Charlaine Harris has created a wonderful vampire hierarchy where there is a definite pecking order amongst vampires. What I particularly enjoyed was the way that the majority of the vamps seem like members of a second-rate rock band with the pre-requisite hangers-on. A visit to one of their night clubs introduces a strange combination of characters – the vamps themselves, all moody and black leather and the human "fang-bangers" who are hooked on everything to do with vampires and spend their evenings wandering around in black Goth clothing offering themselves up as an early evening snack!

This book was great fun. Easy to read, relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable. And I want more!!!