I like Charlaine Harris's writing. I like her world-building.

I really, really dislike her ingenues. They are weak and dependent.

By the end of the Southern Vampire series, Sookie has grown into a stronger and more self-reliant person, so I'm hoping for a similar transition, here--maybe a faster one, though.

(Spoiler: not so much.)

While the individual mysteries of the first three books are handled pretty well, the central mystery that ties the series together isn't as strong. All of the foreshadowing of that conclusion happens in book 4, and the event that has led to the central crime (the disappearance of the heroine's sister) is immediately obvious as soon as it's revealed. The twist ("it isn't who you suspect; it's this other person") is also unsatisfying, and an unnecessary coincidence is left unexplained.

Book 4 is enough of a let down that I'm tempted to dock the whole series a star. Don't pick this one up; it is not Charlaine Harris's best work.