The vamps have been "out" for years, and now the weres and shifters have decided to follow the undead's lead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world. Sookie Stackhouse already knows about them, of course - her brother turns into a panther at the full moon, she's friend to the local were packs, and Sam, her boss at Merlotte's bar, is a shapeshifter. The great revelation goes well at first - and then the horribily mutilated body of a were-panther is found in the parking lot behind Merlotte's. Sookie agrees to use her telepathic talent to track down the murderer, but there is a far grater danger than this killer threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings, older, more powerful and far more secretive than the vampires or the werewolves, is preparing for war. And Sookie is going to become an all-too human pawn in their ages-old battle...


