Characters / The Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries

An index of characters from The Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries.

Main Characters

Sookie Stackhouse

The protagonist and narrator. She can read minds, but isn't happy about it.

Associated tropes:

• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: A few times in Dead Reckoning: while she's hiding from assailants, she thinks of her newly-painted toenails. While pondering the mystery of the cluviel dor, she thinks of Wonderbread.
  • In Dead Ever After, she follows up her grave summary of the situation with the idea that she should write a rap song.

• Book Dumb: Sookie admits that she's not very educated, yet she's far from stupid.
• Butt-Monkey: She gets beat up a lot. At one point, a violent confrontation that leaves her gravely wounded is compounded with a bee coming up and stinging her.

• Half-Human Hybrid: She's part fairy.
• Happily Married/Earn Your Happy Ending: She marries Sam and they went on to live a comfortable life into old age with a lot of grandkids.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Though this becomes less and less as the series goes on.

• Power Incontinence: Though she can try and block things out.

• Seen It All: She becomes this in dealing with the supes. As of later books, she's rather blasé about their dealings.

Bill Compton

A vampire who moves into town. His romance with Sookie drags her into the world of the supernatural.

Associated tropes:

• Amicable Exes: With Sookie, in the later books, making regular visits to her house for tea. It made Sam twitchy at first, but he soon got over it.
• Characterization Marches On: He's rather perverse and standoffish when he first meets Sookie, and arguably a Tsundere.

• Disappeared Dad: He himself, after Lorena turned him.
• Fiction500: The epilogue book After Dead reveals that he owns a company that produces a line of vampire video games that made him even more wealthy on top of his other investments, regularly landing him in vampire and human magazines. He also owns Louisiana as its King, but refuses to move to New Orleans.

• Honey Trap: Sophie-Anne became interested in Sookie's powers. She sent Bill to seduce her.
  • Becoming the Mask: He really did fall in love with her.

• Official Couple: With Sookie until the third book.
• Retcon: His age and the number of children he had.

Sam Merlotte

Owner of Merlotte's and Sookie's boss.

Associated tropes:

• Characterization Marches On: While as a dog, he watches Sookie change in the first book.
  • Easily Forgiven: ...And Sookie pretty much forgets it -or represses it - soon enough.
• Damaged Soul: When Sookie brings him back to life,s he suspects this. Subverted when it turns out that he was reflecting on his life choices and forced to make a Sadistic Choice.

• Voluntary Shapeshifting or Involuntary Shapeshifting: Whether it's a full moon or not.

Eric Northman

Owner of Fangtasia and another love interest of Sookie's.

Associated tropes:

• Amicable Exes: With Sookie after entering his Arranged Marriage. He subsequently gifts her with an elegant silverware set when she marries Sam.
• Ambition Is Evil: He's quite the social climber, and many vampires want him and his business. It starts to take a toll on his relationship with Sookie.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: It really tics him off seeing how close Sam and Sookie are. He gets over it after his marriage to Freyda and he gifts Sam and Sookie with silverware on their wedding day.

• Guile Hero: Before leaving with Freyda, he manages to bargain with her, allowing Sookie to be protected. He also pays for Sookie's bail, on the condition that Sam not court her.

• Official Couple: Starts dating Sookie in the later books. Later, he's forced into an Arranged Marriage with the Queen of Oklahoma, Freyda, which later becomes a Perfectly Arranged Marriage.

Vampires

Pam

Eric's "child." She works at Fangtasia with him.

Associated tropes:

• Odd Friendship: With Sookie. In the last book, Pam remarks that Sookie is the only human friend she ever had.

Bubba

Elvis, after being turned into a vampire. Eric tries to keep him secret, as he would be a public relations nightmare for the vampires. Likes to eat cats.

Associated tropes:

• Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: Elvis was a vampire.
• Berserk Button: He hates being reminded of who he was.
• Breakout Character: A mild example: after being dropped for several books, he becomes more prominent in later novels. There's even a bondage/Elvis/whorehouse-themed bar in the latest book.
• Came Back Wrong: Between the drug addictions and his sire not turning him until a decent while after his death, Bubba's brain didn't survive the crossing-over fully intact. He's rather simple-minded and doesn't remember most of his past.
• Downer Ending: The epilogue tells us that he caused a stir when he was spotted by his grave, and was banished to Canada. He hated it.
• Elvis Impersonator: At one point, he is captured, and the captors believe him to be such. They let him go when they get him to sing.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Cats.

Dahlia Lynley-Chivers

A vampire nest enforcer and one of the judges of Queen Sophie-Anne's trial at the vampire summit in All Together Dead.

Associated tropes:

• All Women Love Shoes: Being that she's not even five feet tall and she's obsessed with fashion, her shoes of choice are stilettos, although Dying For Daylight portrays her with spike-heeled boots.
• Blood Knight: Get her in a good fight and her mood really perks up. That's even how she fell in love with Todd; they were in charge of security at Taffy's wedding, which was attacked by anti-supernatural humans, so they slaughtered the group.
• Deadpan Snarker: Being that she's a very old vampire, she's very good at trading barbs with others.
• Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: She's portrayed in Dying For Daylight as having porcelain white skin and pitch black hair.
• The Fashionista: She's obsessed with fashion and is quite particular about her outfits. One comment she makes in Dying For Daylight is that she dreams of shopping at Tiffany's when they're open.
• Gorgeous Greek: Dahlia is definitely of Greek origin and described as petite and pretty with long dark hair, large green eyes and heart-shaped face.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: After her husband was murdered, she admits to herself that she can't control her rage, but she's getting better at it.
• Hero of Another Story: While she only appears in All Together Dead and interacts with Sookie very briefly, Dahlia's main role is to expand the supernatural side of the books' universe. Other than Sookie herself, she's the main star of the short stories and she's the star of the Dying For Daylight game.
• Ice Queen: When Sookie first sees her at the vampire summit, she notes that Dahlia carries herself in a composed and regal manner when in the presence of Queen Sophie-Anne and speaks very directly.
• Immortality Begins at Twenty: She was turned at 18, actually.
• Interspecies Romance: She falls in love with Todd Swiftfoot, a werewolf, at the wedding of her best friend Taffy to Todd's pack leader, Don. They were Happily Married until Todd is murdered and Dahlia avenges his death. Ironically, she dislikes this trope, but she's willing to make exceptions if the men are strong, brave, and gorgeous.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: She's only 4'9" and she can and will slaughter you. Also, she can fly, an ability that is so rare in vampires that only Eric Northman and her nestmate Glenda also have it. She's also clearly well-respected enough in the vampire community to be appointed to the judges' panel of Sophie-Anne's trial.
• Really Gets Around: The official companion book describes her as a lover of "men and high heels".
• Really 700 Years Old: She dates back to at least ancient Greece and has extensive knowledge of extinct languages. She's had so many names over the years that she only adopted the name Dahlia in the 1920s to make it easier for herself and added her surname during World War II.

Shapeshifters And Weres

Alcide Hervaux

A were from a rather rich family, and another one of Sookie's suitors.

Associated tropes:

• Love Interest: Not really - he seems like one, but never officially dated Sookie. He ends up being more of a Romantic False Lead. As of the later books, it's safe to say that he's no longer a Love Interest.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting or Involuntary Shapeshifting: Whether it's a full moon or not.

Jason Stackhouse

Sookie's older brother.

Associated tropes:

• Animorphism: He was bitten by a werepanther, and is now one himself.

• Character Development: He matures a lot in later books, becoming more of a kinder and responsible person.
• Chick Magnet: Sookie thinks he dated half of their high school's female population. Justified, as he's part-fairy, and attracts people.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Decontructed, Mel, his best friend, assaults Jason's wife in the hopes that he could be with him.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Like Sookie, he's part-fairy.
• Jerkass: On separate occasions, he slaps Sookie in full view of other mourners at their grandmothers Funeral, and at a later date basically calls her a liar for having claimed their uncle molested her. He also forced her to break Calvin's hand as part of a werepanter punishment for adultery (Calvin's niece, to whom Jason is married, cheated on him), simply because he didn't feel like doing it himself.

John Quinn

A were-tiger and once-boyfriend of Sookie.

Associated tropes:

• Romantic False Lead: His relationship with Sookie goes ends when she realizes he will always put his family before her, and he's eventually phased out of the running, now dating (and having a child with) another weretiger.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting or Involuntary Shapeshifting: Whether it's a full moon or not.

Mustapha Khan

A tight-lipped Were who acts as Eric's day-time guy.

Associated tropes:

• Ambiguously Gay: The specifics of his sexuality and relationship with Warren leave many characters confused, and the fact that Mustapha doesn't talk about himself much doesn't help. We do get one hint, though Sookie still isn't convinced:
  India: Brother, you are almost enough to make me wish I was straight!
  Mustapha: Sister, right back at you.

• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Warren. Probably.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: Sookie compares his attire to Blade.

• Voluntary Shapeshifting or Involuntary Shapeshifting: He's a Were, of course..

Other

Amelia Broadway

A witch who's still in training. She moves in with Sookie just before Hurricane Katrina.

Associated tropes:

• Cannot Keep a Secret: It creates some tension between her and Sookie.
• Daddy's Girl: When she's not fighting with her father.

• Surprise Pregnancy: Carrying Bob's baby.

Claudine Crane

Claudine proclaims herself to be Sookie's Fairy Godmother. She is the first full-blooded fairies we met in the series, and prove that there are more supes than vampires, shapeshifters and weres.

Associated tropes:

• Alliterative Name

Claude Crane

Claudine's rude brother, and owner of the stripclub, Hooligans.

Associated tropes:

• Alliterative Name
• Complexity Addiction: Sookie explains in the final chapters of Dead Ever After that Claude's revenge plan was needlessly complicated, as he could have just shot her.

• Villainous Incest: He has no qualms in trying to sleep with Sookie. It's a fairy thing.

Niall Brigant

A fairy prince, grandfather to Claudine, Claude, and Claudette. He's Sookie's great-great-grandfather.

Associated tropes:

• Parental Favoritism: He puts Sookie above all others, even his grandchildren, Claudine and Claude. For Sookie and Sam's wedding, he gives them an invitation to the fairies' Summerlands for when they finally pass. They keep the invitation locked in a safe deposit box and occasionally consider it, but not that seriously.

Dermot Brigant

Niall's son, therefore Sookie's relative.

Associated tropes:

• Strong Family Resemblance: Looks almost exactly like Jason

Bob Jessup

Associated tropes:

• Involuntary Shapeshifter: Amelia accidentally turned him into a cat for a few books.

Desmond Cataliades

A part-demon lawyer who helps Sookie with various monetary and legal cases. He is usually flanked by his niece, Diantha.

Associated tropes:

• Mysterious Protector: Barry mentions him appearing to help him and whisk him away a few times, though he doesn't understand why. It's because he's Barry's great-great-great grandfather.

• Ship Tease: He develops a crush on Beth Osiecki, a Bon Temps lawyer.

Humans

Arlene Fowler

Sookie's friend and co-worker.

Associated tropes:

Tara du Rone (née Thorton)

Sookie's childhood friend.

Associated tropes:

• Ambiguously Brown: She has olive skin, but it's never mentioned what race she is, unlike other characters.

• Out of Focus: Her dislike of vampires hampered her involvement with Sookie as the latter became more and more involved with the supernatural. Tara becomes aware of this and feels awful.

Barry "Bellboy" Horrowitz

First introduced as a bellboy in a hotel in Dallas, he later starts working with the King of Texas. Like Sookie, he is also a telepath; and like Sookie, he got his telepathy from Mr. Cataliades.

Associated tropes:

• Luke, I Am Your Father: Cataliades is his great-great-great-grandfather.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Mostly human, part fairy.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: His story is mostly an open-ended And the Adventure Continues.

Steve Newlin

The founder of the anti-vampire movement, The Fellowship of the Sun. After Sookie ruins his plans in the second book, he becomes a somewhat of a recurring villain, though

Associated tropes:

• Co-Dragons: With Johan Glassport, for Claude.
• Didn't Think This Through: In his anger, he attacks Claude while the latter is driving them.

• Politically Incorrect Villain: Not only is he anti-vampire, he's also homophobic.
• Situational Sexuality: Claude's hypnotic spell makes him want to switch teams for a brief moment.