Except for cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, knew little about vamps--and nothing about Weres. Until now. The Weres and shifters have finally revealed their existence to the ordinary world, and the backlash may have claimed the life of someone Sookie knew. But her determination to find out who is responsible for the murder is put aside in the face of a far greater danger. A race of unhuman beings--older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves--is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too-human pawn in their battle...