Deadlocked (novel)

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Deadlocked

Deadlocked is a 2012 urban fantasy novel by Charlaine Harris. It is the twelfth and penultimate book in The Southern Vampire Mysteries.

Publication details:
- Publisher: Ace Books
- Publication date: May 1, 2012 (United States)
- Format: Hardcover (327 pages)
- Preceded by: Dead Reckoning
- Followed by: Dead Ever After

Plot:
After the events of the previous book, Sookie Stackhouse faces several problems. Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nevada, comes to town to investigate the death of his representative, Victor, who was killed by Eric with help from Bill, Sookie, Pam, and others. A dead woman is found on the lawn of Eric’s house during a party for Felipe, pulling Sookie and her vampire friends into a police case.

Meanwhile, Sookie’s fairy great-grandfather Niall visits to learn who cast a spell on his son Dermot. He takes Claude back to the fairy realm. Sookie also deals with a powerful magical object given to her by her half-fairy grandfather Fintan; it can grant one big wish for someone she loves, and someone seems determined to possess it.

Sookie’s relationship with Eric may be ending. She catches him feeding on the dead woman, who was laced with fairy blood to set him up. There is also pressure from Eric’s maker, Appius Livius Ocella, for Eric to marry Freyda, the Vampire Queen of Oklahoma. Werewolf tensions rise as Sam begins dating Jannalynn, who enforces for Alcide’s Long Tooth Pack and sees Sookie as a threat.

Reception:
Critical reception was mixed. Publishers Weekly found it intriguing, while Kirkus Reviews called it dull and overly complicated. A reviewer for Clutch said they couldn’t finish it and that the penultimate book’s ending can’t come soon enough.