Title: Une mort certaine
Author: Charlaine Harris
First published May 4, 2010
414 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9782890774063
Rating: 3.89
Overview
Sookie is back in her small town in Louisiana. After saving numerous vampires from a spectacular attack, the telepathic waitress is trying to resume a “normal” life, hoping to hear from Quinn, the were-tiger she fell in love with.
However, other supernatural creatures are interested in her, including a captivating old man who knows how to make everyone obey him, even Eric. The Louisiana vampire community is depleted, the local werewolves are killing each other, and Sookie finds herself in the middle of it all.
But the too-charming young woman can’t refuse to help these creatures, even if it means risking her own life. Welcome to the world of “La Mort et bien pire”.
About the Author
Charlaine Harris, a published novelist for over 35 years, grew up in the Mississippi Delta and now resides in Texas. Although she began her writing career with mainly ghost stories, Charlaine’s passion for writing poetry and plays developed during her college years at Rhodes in Memphis.
After working some low-level jobs, Charlaine’s husband Hal enabled her to write from home, resulting in the publication of two stand-alone books by Houghton Mifflin. Following a sabbatical for child-rearing, Charlaine jumped on the series trend and began writing traditional mystery books centered around a Georgia librarian called Aurora Teagarden.
Her first Teagarden book was even nominated for an Agatha award.
However, Charlaine soon felt the need for a more significant challenge, and the result was the darker Lily Bard series, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, featuring a heroine surviving a devastating attack and learning to live with its aftermath. When Charlaine realized her previous series weren’t setting the literary world on fire, she wrote the book she’d always wanted to write; a book that broke genre boundaries and appealed to a wide audience of adventure seekers.
The Sookie Stackhouse series, featuring a telepathic Louisiana barmaid and her interactions with vampires, werewolves, and other unusual creatures, was a resounding success in many languages.
Concurrently with the Sookie novels, Charlaine wrote the Harper Connelly books. Following the end of Sookie’s adventures, Charlaine wrote the Midnight, Texas books, which became a television series.
The Aurora Teagarden books were also adapted for Hallmark Movie & Mystery.
Charlaine is an Episcopalian and a member of various professional organizations. She is currently the proud houseparent of two rescue dogs and resides on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.
Editoral Review
Charlaine Harris, the bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, released Une mort certaine in 2010. Known for her witty humour and supernatural plotlines, Harris work has gained significant popularity in the crime genre.
Une mort certaine, translated as “Certain death” in English, follows Harris signature style of combining supernatural elements with classic crime fiction. Set in a small American town, the novel centres around Harper Connelly, a young woman with a unique ability to sense the location of the dead.
When she is hired to investigate the death of a teenage girl in the town, Harper finds herself embroiled in a web of secrets and lies. With the help of her stepbrother, Harper navigates the town’s underbelly to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death.
Harris cleverly combines the supernatural and the mundane to create a captivating mystery novel. Harper’s ability to sense the dead adds an extra layer of intrigue, and Harris uses this to explore the themes of life and death, mortality and the afterlife.
Harper and her stepbrother also serve as multi-dimensional protagonists, offering readers insights into grief and familial relationships. Despite its strengths, Une mort certaine is not without flaws.
The pacing of the novel is slow at times, which can make it challenging to maintain reader engagement. Additionally, some of the secondary characters do not receive enough development, leaving them feeling flat and underdeveloped.
Comparing this to Harris previous works, Une mort certaine is more grounded in reality, despite the supernatural abilities of the protagonist. It is a departure from her usual lighthearted urban fantasy novels and offers a darker, more somber take on the genre.
Overall, Une mort certaine is a gratifying read that will appeal to crime and urban fantasy enthusiasts alike. Harris signature wit and humour will keep readers invested in the story, while the exploration of deeper themes adds a layer of depth to the novel.
Despite its shortcomings, Une mort certaine is an excellent standalone novel that is worth reading, especially by those who enjoy the blend of genres.