The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus (Lily Bard Mysteries, #1-5)

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The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus (Lily Bard Mysteries #1-5)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 468 ratings · 36 reviews

Lily Bard is starting over again. She’s disguised herself as much as she can, cutting her hair short and wearing baggy clothes, and she's moved to Shakespeare, Arkansas, where, working as a cleaning lady, she can sweep away the secrets of her dark, violent past. Before long, everyone is going to know Lily Bard’s name.

Paperback, 935 pages

Published November 1st 2010 by Gollancz (first published 2007)

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Aug 31, 2012 Lizzie Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

‘The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus’ by Charlaine Harris
Published by Gollancz November 2010. ISBN: 978-0-575-09643-1

Charlaine Harris has for me always been linked with vampires mysteries which are not for me, but just before Christmas I received to review a beautiful book, which was by Charlaine Harris but announced itself as the The Lily Bard Mysteries. I just loved it.

Lily Bard lives in the town of Shakespeare. When looking for somewhere to live she fixed on this town purely because of its name....more

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Mar 13, 2012 Larissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Shakespeare's Landlord.
Lily Bard is trying to keep a low profile, stay invisible, but she soon learns that is an impossibility in a small town. With a shattered past and a fear of discovery, the last thing Lily wanted was to be implicated in a murder, however she reluctantly finds that if she is to prove her innocence she is going to have to solve this murder on her own. But in retrospect the death of Shakespeare's landlord could have been the best thing to ever happen to Lily.

Shakespeare's Cham...more Shakespeare's Landlord.
Lily Bard is trying to keep a low profile, stay invisible, but she soon learns that is an impossibility in a small town. With a shattered past and a fear of discovery, the last thing Lily wanted was to be implicated in a murder, however she reluctantly finds that if she is to prove her innocence she is going to have to solve this murder on her own. But in retrospect the death of Shakespeare's landlord could have been the best thing to ever happen to Lily.

Shakespeare's Champion.
When Lily unwittingly steps in to break it up a public fight, she also puts herself in the middle of the towns growing tensions. Not long after she discovers a murder victim. When all she wanted was to be left in quiet, she is again drawn into the lives of those in this small town discovering she is losing more friends then she realised she ever had. If Lily is to survive this race war with her life she is going to have to get to the bottom of this murder.

Shakespeare's Christmas.
Christmas isn't Christmas without family, food and a murder or two. As Lily heads home for the holidays, and also for her sisters wedding, Lily is facing up to some old demons. However someone has kidnapped a child and is desperate enough to kill any who would dare take that child from them. Unavoidably Lily becomes involved, but this time she is not alone. With Jack by her side Lily will uncover a devastating truth and discover a new side of herself.

Shakespeare's Trollop.
When Lily discovers the body of the town trollop in a compromising position she, as with everyone else in town, must assume that the murderer is one of her lovers. Meaning that just about every man in town is a suspect. However as the clues are gathered Lily must admit that things are not adding up. But in a case where little makes sense and where one death leads to another, discovering the truth will not be easy.

Shakespeare's Counselor.
The time has come for Lily to face her past if she is to embrace her future. Very reluctant to join but determined to do so, Lily begins attending meetings for rape survivors. Unfortunately after only a few weeks someone has decided to send a message to her group in the form of a murdered rape victim. As the bodies pile up in this dangerous game of cat and mouse, Lily experiences great loss, abuse of her trust and ultimately a new future.

Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus is a great series of Who-Done-It tales centered around a strong, independent, intelligent women with a dark past and no future. Written without any supernatural influence by a skilled author of the genre, these in-depth and well thought out murder mysteries will keep you guessing just as much its well developed and colourful characters will keep you entertained.(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Beth_Adele rated it 1 of 5 stars

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

I am extremely conflicted over this book.
These books were actually better written than the Aurora Tea Garden books. Lily Bard makes for a far more interesting protagonist, though I don't like her very much at all. Which I suspect is probably what Harris intended, but if that were so, I think Harris has failed her. Throughout the series, Lily only seems to undergo superficial growth.

Delving in to the world of rape and sexual assault is fraught with difficulties and...more WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

I am extremely conflicted over this book.
These books were actually better written than the Aurora Tea Garden books. Lily Bard makes for a far more interesting protagonist, though I don't like her very much at all. Which I suspect is probably what Harris intended, but if that were so, I think Harris has failed her. Throughout the series, Lily only seems to undergo superficial growth.

Delving in to the world of rape and sexual assault is fraught with difficulties and controversy, so it's no surprise that there are certain undertones and voices in this collection of novels I find really hard to swallow.
The books could be quite triggering for anyone who has ever been assaulted. But not only do I find the rape culture elements distasteful, I find the racial issues really off putting. It's as though Harris has grabbed two really huge taboos, thrown them into her books and just let them simmer. There seems to be no real resolution of any kind. By the end of the series, her characters are still firmly rooted in their victim blaming, slut shaming, racist little mind sets.

Which makes me wonder if I should revisit the Aurora Tea Garden books to see what fun stereotypes I missed. (I didn't exactly give those books much thought. They were easily digested. Contained no surprises plot wise. which makes me wonder if I really read them, instead of treating them like holiday candy type reading, what would I uncover?)

Her plots seem a little more believable in this series. Lily Bard is a more probable person to be involved in murder mysteries than Aurora Tea Garden was. Although, again, Shakespeare seems to have a homicidal hub conveniently located next door to our protagonist. Lily is a strange woman. As one would be having survived what she had. And though I am sure her encounter with The Bad Thing was Harris's way of making her hard and cold and giving her a legitimate reason to be, truthfully I thought she just made Lily a humourless cliché.

The constant slut shaming of one character really began to piss me off to the extent that I almost put the book down refusing to finish it. Harris's characters, even those that were themselves victims, bought into the victim blaming culture. Had Harris done this as an attempt to challenge that culture, I may have been more forgiving, but she didn't. Not one of the characters ever really grew beyond blaming other victims for what happened to them. (Even though she does include a scene where a social worker has the women chant that we never blame the victim. Through out the whole series, the victims do wear, at the very least, partial blame.)

The other axe to grind is the both overt and subtle racism. In one book, the topic is addressed directly with racially motived murders. And whilst in this particular story, the message is that killing people because they are black is wrong, there is still this awful subtle undertone I can't quite stomach. In later books, Lily expresses extra fear around black neighbourhoods. She seems less trusting of black characters, for no other reason than that they are black. Had she been attacked by black men, I could have understood this. But Lily never saw her attackers on account of the blind fold. So the only conclusion one can come to is that Lily has Nice White Lady syndrome.

If you can stomach or ignore the more distasteful elements of the Lily Bard Mysteries, then you will probably enjoy the books. Harris's writing is not bad. There's no real surprises in plot. But I don't think that's the point of this style of mystery. (If you want intelligent writing, read some one else) Although I am not entirely sure what the point is other than to entertain, I personally, am not entertained by Lily Bard.

(less)

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Apr 17, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I first read Charlaine Harris’s ‘Lily Bard’ series shortly after discovering her ‘Southern Vampire: Sookie Stackhouse’ books. I wanted to fill the Sookie void between books, and thought reading Harris’s previous works would be a good start. I’m so glad I did, because this series is now one of my all-time favourites.

‘Lily Bard’ is by far Harris’s darkest work. When Charlaine Harris was younger she was the victim of a sexual assault. With this knowledge in mind, it becomes clear that the ‘Lily Bar...more I first read Charlaine Harris’s ‘Lily Bard’ series shortly after discovering her ‘Southern Vampire: Sookie Stackhouse’ books. I wanted to fill the Sookie void between books, and thought reading Harris’s previous works would be a good start. I’m so glad I did, because this series is now one of my all-time favourites.

‘Lily Bard’ is by far Harris’s darkest work. When Charlaine Harris was younger she was the victim of a sexual assault. With this knowledge in mind, it becomes clear that the ‘Lily Bard’ series is perhaps closest to Charlaine’s heart.

Lily Bard has a tragic history. She is a rape survivor. So horrific and awful was the assault, and so dramatic was her escape, that Lily’s name and story were in the news for months following her recovery. Because of the undue media attention Lily effectively went into hiding; finding the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas on a map and deciding that she would live out her life in solitude. Before escaping into anonymity Lily underwent a physical change; she discovered bodybuilding and set herself the task of making her body into a weapon so that she would never again feel physically threatened.

I love Charlaine Harris. She is a beautiful writer, able to effortlessly flip between fresh prose and acerbic wit. Her stories are often fanciful, but grounded in reality. And her heroines all follow the same mould of being utterly ordinary women living extraordinary lives. Sookie Stackhouse, for instance, is a thoroughly ordinary waitress whose life is irrevocably changed when a vampire walks into her town. Likewise, Lily Bard is a cleaning lady whose loner-existence is changed when her landlord is murdered. Charlaine’s other murder-mystery series, ‘Aurora Teagarden’, has a title character who is a librarian but finds herself thrown into a murder investigation when a friend is found bludgeoned to death.

The contrast of ordinary woman/extraordinary circumstances has more meaning in the ‘Lily Bard’ series than any other of Charlaine’s works. Lily’s extraordinary circumstances can be stretched to the event that brought her to Shakespeare, Arkansas to begin with – her rape. Lily was an ordinary girl when one event changed the entire trajectory of her life.

The ‘Lily Bard’ series is very dark – far more so than Charlaine’s other books, even the most recent Sookie novels. But surprisingly enough the Bard series has a very clear, uplifting message at its centre. The series is ultimately about reconnecting. In the beginning Lily is a determined loner, scarred by the events of her past, Lily is convinced that the key to her well-being lies in never allowing anyone to get close to her. Over the course of five books however, we witness Lily making tentative connections with those around her – she finds romance, love, and friendship and learns that these connections are important to her continued physical and mental recovery. It is a beautiful message – and seems to be Charlaine imparting her own wisdom to victims about how to continue living your life without fear of the past. And although the series has a lot of darkness, it ultimately ends on a high-note and happy ending.

I love this series, not least of all because of Lily Bard herself. Lily is a ballsy, funny, loyal and hard-working woman. When you learn, in explicit detail, the events of her rape your respect for Lily increases ten-fold. In the beginning Lily is defined by the rape. The ordeal shaped her entire life – she moved far away from home (and the pitying looks of family and friends) to live out a life in quiet, safe solitude. She began bodybuilding as a means to protect herself, so fearful that the past would repeat itself. Clearly letting tragedy define who you become is no way to live – and Charlaine articulates this message beautifully through the character of Lily as she evolves throughout the five books. In each book there is a new murder-mystery, and as the local cleaning lady privy to the skeletons in her client’s closets, Lily finds herself at the centre of all of the cases. Through these mysteries Lily is able to measure her own mettle, push herself and discover the levels of her bravery;

“There’s a lot I know about you that you won’t admit about yourself,” he retorted.
I didn’t understand.
“You pull old men out of burning buildings. You saved Jack Leeds’s life and almost died in the act. You’re willing, and brave enough, to risk your life to save others.”
What a misconception! “No, no, no,” I protested angrily.

I also love this series because of the romance at its centre. In book two ‘Shakespare’s Champion’ Lily finds her leading man – Jack Leeds – and trust me when I say he is H-O-T. The Bard series also has one of my all-time favourite secondary characters – Bobo – the son of one of Lily’s cleaning clients who pines after her in the sweetest puppy-love fashion.

If fans of the ‘Sooke Stackhouse’ books come to the ‘Lily Bard’ series with a hope that it will scratch a Sookie itch, they will be disappointed. This is in no way supernatural or urban fantasy. This series is strictly murder-mystery. The only similarities between the books are Charlaine’s love of a good, steamy romance for her heroines, ordinary leading ladies leading extraordinary lives and doing so with tremendous courage and biting wit.
Highly recommend this series.(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Petty Witter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SHAKESPEARE'S CHRISTMAS.

The third in the Lily Bard/Shakespeare Mystery series. At last a plot that has some substance to it, a whodunit that though the reason why is fairly obvious the perpetrator is less so.

Interesting that the author chose this, the third book in the series, to really explore the aftermath of Lily's assault not just through the eyes of those closest to Lily but also through Lily herself's eyes, though this works ok as a stand alone novel it is because of this that I think the...more

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Nov 23, 2011 La Stamberga dei Lettori rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: valetta97

Prima di raggiungere la fama mondiale con i vampiri e licantropi di True Blood, Charlaine Harris si divertiva a scrivere romanzi meno sovrannaturali ma che avevano sempre per protagoniste giovani donne forti e un po' asociali.
La serie di Lily Bard, inedita in Italia, rientra nella categoria dei cosiddetti cozy misteries, ovvero quei gialli "leggeri" che hanno per protagonista una detective dilettante alle prese con un mistero da risolvere, anche se in questo caso alcune regole del genere vengono...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been a long time reader of Charlaine Harris and know that she comes up with some quirky heroines. But Lily Bard is different and I love her. Lily is a damaged woman, both physically and emotionally, and these are dark stories. From the first in Shakespeare's Landlord to the last (but I sincerely hope not final) in Shakespeare's Counsellor, Lily struggles to win her way to a normal life. In each book we get glimpses of her past which, I think was the only way to tell her story. For Harris to...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Bluesky rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wish I had spun the five stories in this omnibus out a bit, but I was enjoying getting to know Lily Bard so much that I made a bit of a pig of myself. Charlaine Harris is adept at squeaking in a bit of humour when you least expect it, but where she really shines is her characters. Lovely, well rounded, realistic people. My only quibble is that there were a few discrepancies in the flow of the story line (Lily gets contraception/ Lily reveals she can't have babies due to injury and subsequent i...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read all the Sookie Stackhouse books and enjoyed them very much, but only recently discovered that Ms. Harris had written other short mystery series books as well. I found all five books of this series at a used book store and read them in one weekend. Some are much better than others,but on the whole an entertaining read. I liked Lily Bard. She is a woman struggling to overcome many things in her life and doing it in a way that allows her to earn her living in a respectable way, while deal...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Sharon Cataldo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

Really enjoyable murder mysteries involving folks in a small Southern town. Lily Bard has a horrific past and has remade her life in Shakespeare as a cleaner. As each unfortunate resident of the town meets their untimely end, Lily is involved in the events by virtue of proximity. Through the stories, she also comes to be more at peace with the events that so changed her life, both through friendships and her own growing realisation that though she was affected by her past, it does't have to dict...more

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May 28, 2012 Damian Trasler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, this is just a review of Shakespeare's Counsellor (Don't you DO apostrophes, Goodreads? Tsk tsk!) but I couldn't find it in the search thingy. Whatever.

I picked this book at random off the library shelves. Although I've read a couple of the SOOKIE STACKHOUSE books (and enjoyed them well enough) I didn't twig that this was THAT Charlaine Harris until much later. I was also expecting a historical mystery, but this Shakespeare is a town that the protagonist (Lily Bard) has settled in following...more

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May 03, 2012 JackieB is currently reading it

It will take me a while to get through this, as I do not like reading books by the same author back to back. Here are my reflections on the individual stories in this omnibus as I read them.

Shakespeare's Landlord: OK plot, OK character. Actually, I think the main problem with this is that the character isn't funny like Sooky Stackhouse, and I had trouble taking to her at the beginning. This is definitely a series where you need to like the main character. However, I warmed to her as the plot dev...more

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Apr 09, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first read Charlaine Harris’s ‘Lily Bard’ series shortly after discovering her ‘Southern Vampire: Sookie Stackhouse’ books. I wanted to fill the Sookie void between books, and thought reading Harris’s previous works would be a good start. I’m so glad I did, because this series is now one of my all-time favourites.

‘Lily Bard’ is by far Harris’s darkest work. When Charlaine Harris was younger she was the victim of a sexual assault. With this knowledge in mind, it becomes clear that the ‘Lily Bar...more I first read Charlaine Harris’s ‘Lily Bard’ series shortly after discovering her ‘Southern Vampire: Sookie Stackhouse’ books. I wanted to fill the Sookie void between books, and thought reading Harris’s previous works would be a good start. I’m so glad I did, because this series is now one of my all-time favourites.

‘Lily Bard’ is by far Harris’s darkest work. When Charlaine Harris was younger she was the victim of a sexual assault. With this knowledge in mind, it becomes clear that the ‘Lily Bard’ series is perhaps closest to Charlaine’s heart.

Lily Bard has a tragic history. She is a rape survivor. So horrific and awful was the assault, and so dramatic was her escape, that Lily’s name and story were in the news for months following her recovery. Because of the undue media attention Lily effectively went into hiding; finding the small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas on a map and deciding that she would live out her life in solitude. Before escaping into anonymity Lily underwent a physical change; she discovered bodybuilding and set herself the task of making her body into a weapon so that she would never again feel physically threatened.

I love Charlaine Harris. She is a beautiful writer, able to effortlessly flip between fresh prose and acerbic wit. Her stories are often fanciful, but grounded in reality. And her heroines all follow the same mould of being utterly ordinary women living extraordinary lives. Sookie Stackhouse, for instance, is a thoroughly ordinary waitress whose life is irrevocably changed when a vampire walks into her town. Likewise, Lily Bard is a cleaning lady whose loner-existence is changed when her landlord is murdered. Charlaine’s other murder-mystery series, ‘Aurora Teagarden’, has a title character who is a librarian but finds herself thrown into a murder investigation when a friend is found bludgeoned to death.
The contrast of ordinary woman/extraordinary circumstances has more meaning in the ‘Lily Bard’ series than any other of Charlaine’s works. Lily’s extraordinary circumstances can be stretched to the event that brought her to Shakespeare, Arkansas to begin with – her rape. Lily was an ordinary girl when one event changed the entire trajectory of her life.

The ‘Lily Bard’ series is very dark – far more so than Charlaine’s other books, even the most recent Sookie novels. But surprisingly enough the Bard series has a very clear, uplifting message at its centre. The series is ultimately about reconnecting. In the beginning Lily is a determined loner, scarred by the events of her past, Lily is convinced that the key to her well-being lies in never allowing anyone to get close to her. Over the course of five books however, we witness Lily making tentative connections with those around her – she finds romance, love, and friendship and learns that these connections are important to her continued physical and mental recovery. It is a beautiful message – and seems to be Charlaine imparting her own wisdom to victims about how to continue living your life without fear of the past. And although the series has a lot of darkness, it ultimately ends on a high-note and happy ending.

I love this series, not least of all because of Lily Bard herself. Lily is a ballsy, funny, loyal and hard-working woman. When you learn, in explicit detail, the events of her rape your respect for Lily increases ten-fold. In the beginning Lily is defined by the rape. The ordeal shaped her entire life – she moved far away from home (and the pitying looks of family and friends) to live out a life in quiet, safe solitude. She began bodybuilding as a means to protect herself, so fearful that the past would repeat itself. Clearly letting tragedy define who you become is no way to live – and Charlaine articulates this message beautifully through the character of Lily as she evolves throughout the five books. In each book there is a new murder-mystery, and as the local cleaning lady privy to the skeletons in her client’s closets, Lily finds herself at the centre of all of the cases. Through these mysteries Lily is able to measure her own mettle, push herself and discover the levels of her bravery;

“There’s a lot I know about you that you won’t admit about yourself,” he retorted.
I didn’t understand.
“You pull old men out of burning buildings. You saved Jack Leeds’s life and almost died in the act. You’re willing, and brave enough, to risk your life to save others.”
What a misconception! “No, no, no,” I protested angrily.

I also love this series because of the romance at its centre. In book two ‘Shakespare’s Champion’ Lily finds her leading man – Jack Leeds – and trust me when I say he is H-O-T. The Bard series also has one of my all-time favourite secondary characters – Bobo – the son of one of Lily’s cleaning clients who pines after her in the sweetest puppy-love fashion.

If fans of the ‘Sooke Stackhouse’ books come to the ‘Lily Bard’ series with a hope that it will scratch a Sookie itch, they will be disappointed. This is in no way supernatural or urban fantasy. This series is strictly murder-mystery. The only similarities between the books are Charlaine’s love of a good, steamy romance for her heroines, ordinary leading ladies leading extraordinary lives and doing so with tremendous courage and biting wit.
Highly recommend this series.
(less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Hanneke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Since I ran into Jack and Lily in Dead Reckoning I decided to start reading the remaining books in my Lily Bard mysteries omnibus. I really, really love Charlaine Harris' way of writing, though sometimes all of a sudden things happen in a book that I don't really get. That's what happened in Shakespeare's Counselor. The first four books were absolutely great, Shakespeare's Counselor was a mess.

(view spoiler)...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: better-than-chocolate, mystery-fiction, read-in-2012

This was a really enjoyable collection of mystery stories. Lily Bard is an interesting character. A woman of few words and blunt to the point of painful, her character is a result of her horrific past, and Charlaine Harris brings that across very well. I loved the small town setting, with a supporting cast of 'regulars' who turn up through all the books, and, as always with Charlaine Harris, it's the personalities and little details that really make these shine. Interesting that there's absolute...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Kat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Oh, yet another of Harris' heroines that are just so engaging.

It's taken me quite a while to finish this omnibus - as it is so big - and I had to have a few breaks in between books. But overall, I just loved it.

Lily was darker than Harris' other lead characters (compared to Sookie, Harper & Aurora, who are all generally sweet but deadly - pun intended, haha) with a much more, ah, sordid past. Harris invokes the reader to feel empathetic towards Lily, but not pity her. She worked her way th...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Lea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unfortunately, the vampire series has taken away any focus on Charlaine Harris' other series which I find just as fun to read. I hope she continues to write for these series and that her vampire series, which is likewise lots of fun to read, won't take her time and interest away from her other series.

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Feb 03, 2013 Irena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-fantasy-stuff

Collection of short stories with Lilly Bard as the main character. It delves into her life in Shakespeare and her aptitude to be involved in murders!

It was well written, entertaining and just a plain good read!

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May 11, 2011 Joanna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery-thriller, ebook, omnibus, original-en, series

A really quick read. But be warned – there is no paranormal element in those books at all. Well, maybe except keeping shoe polish in the linen closet… ;-)

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Nov 21, 2012 Marcena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Love the 5 books in this omnibus. They are completely different from The Southern Vampire series but just as good in their own rights.

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Jul 11, 2011 Mandy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This whole series is set in an imaginary town in Arkansas so of course I LOVED it!! Charlaine Harris does NOT disappoint with this series!!

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Jun 02, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Lily Bard is so strong, tough, smart and controlled. She has to be my favorite heroine ever! I admire her so much for what she has been threw and she risen above it all and kicked butt!

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Jul 18, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved the cross-over of Jack and Lily into the Sookie Stackhouse series. Good fun.

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Jun 27, 2012 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good stories and characters, reminded my a little of Sue Grafton/Kinsey Millhone.

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Dec 28, 2012 Jaime rated it 5 of 5 stars

An easy read, but fast paced and enjoyable.

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Oct 29, 2011 Lilie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cette série débarque en français en février 2012 chez J'ai Lu et je vous conseille de la lire, c'est l'une des meilleures séries de Charlaine Harris.
Pas de fantastique, un bon policier avec une héroïne extraordinaire.

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Feb 04, 2011 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I've actually added my reviews for the five books in this omnibus under their individual listings.

I loved them all. :)

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Jan 29, 2013 Julie-anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this series. It was hard to put down, I just became so enthralled with the world of Lily Bard but I am pleased that the series has finished and Ms Harris has not beaten this to death as she has sadly done with her Sookie Stackhouse series

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Aug 07, 2012 Jacks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

loved this series loads.
Lily bard the character is really quite an odd character but one i liked a lot.
Well written, kept me guessing with every story.
Nice amount of characters in the stories without getting too complicated.
Just enough action but not too much to overwhelm the read.
Charlaine Harris never dissapoints :-)

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Aug 14, 2012 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I brought this collection as they were on special offer and i really enjoy the Stookie Stackhouse collection, so far i have read one and it was ok but there are so many better books out there that i put the rest on a back burner and will probaly chuck them in the bottom of my suitcase on my next beach holiday

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About Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was wr...more Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, she had the opportunity to stay home and write, and the resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of writing mystery series, and soon had her own traditional books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who just enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, has drawn more readers. The Southern Vampire books are published in Japan, Great Britain, Greece, Germany, Thailand, Spain, France, and Russia.

In addition to Sookie, Charlaine has another heroine with a strange ability. Harper Connelly, lightning-struck and strange, can find corpses… and that’s how she makes her living.

In addition to her work as a writer, Charlaine is the past senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church, a board member of Mystery Writers of America, a past board member of Sisters in Crime, a member of the American Crime Writers League, and past president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance. She spends her "spare" time reading, watching her daughter play sports, traveling, and going to the movies. (less)

More about Charlaine Harris...

Books by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse, #2)

Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)

Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse, #5)

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title link	preview: The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus
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The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus (Lily Bard Mysteries #1-5)

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