I love the Sookie Stackhouse series, so there's no way I would not like Dead In the Family. However, this one felt like one of Charlaine Harris's more transitional books -- for example, #5 or #8 -- which follow books that are so explosive (excuse the pun, #7) that they feel like they're just there to give Sookie & co time to recover. At the end of the 9th book, the brutal Fae war has left Sookie damaged, emotionally and physically. At the beginning of Dead In The Family, she is bruised, battered, fearful, and showing signs of PTSD. Luckily, boyfriend (and vampire husband) Eric is there every step of the way, and soon enough, Sookie is practically perfect once again. A lot happens in Dead In The Family, but mostly in reaction to #9: Were intrigue following their coming out, concern about menacing fairies who maybe didn't go away like they were supposed to, and trying to find a way to get Bill back to health. Eric's maker shows up with another son in tow, and this is not a good situation. There are some threads that I think were intentionally left hanging, and we'll see where Harris goes with them in the next book. All in all, not one of the best in the series, but still lots of fun.