Shakespeare's Counselor (Lily Bard Mysteries, #5)

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Shakespeare's Counselor (Lily Bard Mysteries #5)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 6,722 ratings · 233 reviews

Welcome back to the sleepy little town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, where secrets come to hide.

Lily Bard has joined a group therapy session, determined finally to face her past. It sounds positively enlightening, until the murder of a fellow member sends a warning. But who was the message meant for? Why? And who's next to fall victim to a killer's head games?

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Paperback, 232 pages

Published February 1st 2005 by Berkley (first published November 6th 2001)

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Aug 25, 2008 Cherie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The fifth and final installment in the Lily Bard series wraps up Lily's story quite nicely.

In addition to finally settling down with Jack, Lily has decided to face her past and begin attending group therapy sessions. Of course, these sessions become the scene for yet another murder in cozy little Shakespeare. And as usual, Lily is right smack in the middle of the action.

As others have said, this wasn't the best in the series. I think some of that was because there weren't any loose ends to lea...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Jeff Cothern rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Welcome back to the sleepy little town of Shakespeare*, Arkansas*, where secrets come to hide.

Lily Bard has joined a group therapy session, determined finally to face her past. It sounds positively enlightening, until the murder of a fellow member sends a warning. But who was the message meant for? Why? And who's next to fall victim to a killer's head games?

From Publishers Weekly

Harris's fifth Lily Bard mystery set in the small Arkansas town of Shakespeare (Shakespeare's Trollop, etc.) is go

...more

Welcome back to the sleepy little town of Shakespeare*, Arkansas*, where secrets come to hide.

From Publishers Weekly

Harris's fifth Lily Bard mystery set in the small Arkansas town of Shakespeare (Shakespeare's Trollop, etc.) is good enough in part to make one wish it was better as a whole. Its mainstream novelistic promise is left unfulfilled in its adherence to genre conventions. The victim of horrendous violence and plagued by nightmares, anger and self-loathing, Lily joins a local support group headed by Tamsin Lynd, a professional counselor. Tamsin herself has a major problem. She and her husband moved from Cleveland to Shakespeare after being terrorized by a stalker who remains at large. To their horror, the stalker appears to have followed them. First they find a squirrel hung from a tree in their backyard, then the corpse of one of the group in Tamsin's office. Lily, now a professional detective working for her friend/mentor/lover, Jack Leeds, wants to help. It seems two other people connected to the original investigation have followed Tamsin to Shakespeare: one is a woman cop obsessed with catching the stalker, the other a crime writer hoping to find the stuff of a bestseller. In the end, the author delivers a solution too bizarre to be credible. The book's most serious problem, however, is its lack of focus. It would like to be a story about women's pain the trauma of rape and the terror of being stalked but in fulfilling its obligations to the detective story it loses purpose and direction, as well as most of its suspense. (Nov. 12)series.

From Booklist

Lily Bard has married private investigator Jack Leeds, although she hasn't told many people yet. In tiny Shakespeare, Arkansas, another dreamtime episode finally brings Lily to understand she needs help, and she finds it in a local therapy group of women who have been raped. Lily's own story is horrific, and this series is as much about Lily's re-finding her own self as it is about solving crimes. The leader of the therapy group is a woman named Tamsin, who is being stalked in spectacular ways. When those ways include a grisly murder in Tamsin's own office, Lily wants to know why. She's mostly given up her cleaning service to apprentice to Jack, and she is still obsessive about her own physical training. This dark-edged series finds surcease from a great deal of bloodshed in Lily's growing awareness of the power of her and Jack's attachment, even through a miscarriage and a vicious attack by one of Jack's ex-wives. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Dec 21, 2008 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

The fifth (and to my knowledge, last--I don't know if any more are forthcoming) Lily Bard book is almost more about developments in Lily's life than it is an actual crime. This is not to say that there isn't one in Shakespeare's Counselor, because there is, and a pretty warped one at that. Our heroine, now that her relationship with her lover Jack has progressed to a point where she's willing to take his suggestion to start addressing some of the issues in her life, joins a rape survivor therapy...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, mystery, reviewed, favorites

I listen to audiobooks every night, but lately I've been listening to them in the day as well, because I love these readings of Charlaine Harris' Lily Bard series so much. They are firm favorites of mine and I bring them to the top of my iPod frequently. The voice is flatly southern & matter of fact, perfect for tough Lily, a rape survivor with PTSD who has moved to the small town of Shakespeare to try to make a new life for herself. She sees the world as a harsh and unfair place, she doesn'...more I listen to audiobooks every night, but lately I've been listening to them in the day as well, because I love these readings of Charlaine Harris' Lily Bard series so much. They are firm favorites of mine and I bring them to the top of my iPod frequently. The voice is flatly southern & matter of fact, perfect for tough Lily, a rape survivor with PTSD who has moved to the small town of Shakespeare to try to make a new life for herself. She sees the world as a harsh and unfair place, she doesn't like to talk, she doesn't want to be seen as soft, and she never wants to be a victim again. In this final installment of the series we can see that she has in fact made herself a life: (view spoiler) has more friends than she realizes and when tragedy strikes (view spoiler) her friends, acquaintances & neighbors rally around her in a way they never have before, maybe because this time her troubles are seen as being more typically feminine than they have in the past and her sleepy conservative town has more of an idea of how to deal with them.

In this book Lily finally accepts the help of others to deal with the mental wounds the horrific gang rape that drove her to Shakespeare in the first place has left her with. Surviving rape is a common theme in Harris' books and this series is I think her most thorough examination of the issues surrounding it. Lily joins a therapy group for rape survivors. She's also starting to work as a paid private detective after all her amateur experience in the first four novels. These come together after a new member of the therapy group is found dead in the leader's office. The incredibly sketchy behavior of (view spoiler) provides a lively situation for Lily to investigate, and all sorts of threads are tied up in a satisfying bow. I really appreciate the way even minor series characters like Janet & Bobo are given time so we can get a sense of what their futures hold for them, in this way this book is probably best read after the first four, and certainly you will better appreciate Lily's growth as a person after reading the books in order, but the mystery itself is a stand-alone. (less)

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Nov 18, 2011 Arow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Yes

Shelves: cozy-mysteries, fall-challenge-2011

What to say about the Lily Bard series? I read all five books in a short time span (week and half); they all read quickly and flow together nicely over roughly a year time span. At least from what I can gather it is roughly a year. This is why I have decided to post one review for all of them.

My favourite by far was the fifth novel, Shakespeare’s Counselor. I am not sure if it was due to the fact that the story finally reached it climax and I felt satisfied after it was finish or if I had becom...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was a bit of an upset, for me. I love the character Lily, very much. And I sincerely love that she is furthering her relationship with Jack, her love interest, and is able to hang in there and keep this new relationship afloat, without trying to screw it up (consciously or unconsciously) on purpose. I love that Lily loves Jack. But these new developments in the relationship, and the series, are completely unlike anything the characters would do, in my opinion. I was left wondering WHY....more This book was a bit of an upset, for me. I love the character Lily, very much. And I sincerely love that she is furthering her relationship with Jack, her love interest, and is able to hang in there and keep this new relationship afloat, without trying to screw it up (consciously or unconsciously) on purpose. I love that Lily loves Jack. But these new developments in the relationship, and the series, are completely unlike anything the characters would do, in my opinion. I was left wondering WHY.
Then to have her act as she did in this novel seemed.... kinda like the author was taking massive leaps and bounds in her recovery from the past. I don't agree with these changes, I don't think this character, having gone through The Bad Thing, would have done these things, and I was rather put off at the novel because of it all.
Lily would NOT have gone off and married Jack, out of the blue. She suffered from a HUGE inability to have a real relationship, much less taken a giant commitment like this - she is pretty much a commitment-phobe, because of the rape and abuse in the past.
Then the author has the characters say... "well we got married a month ago...." and didn't even write about it?? Or anything? man, that's cruel. The novel seemed to be rather like a car out of control.

Then Lily starts having health problems... and finds out she's pregnant?? that's CRAP. There is no way these newly wedded couple can handle something like that without wanting to at least run away and hide. but they do, AND solve a murder or two, in the process of her recuperation from losing the baby.
A MISCARRIAGE??? Right after getting an implant to stop unwanted pregnancies? And they are SAD they lost it......? I am at a loss. this doesn't seem like the same series it was, in the past three books. I don't know who these people are, anymore.
I must say, having BOTH the couple in question be the Bad Guys, was just the topping on the confusion-cake that is this novel. I was beyond confused, and left feeling very very disappointed and lost. I sincerely hope this problem wasn't caused by the author's writing of three different series at the same time. I am taking a break from them all, and the author, for a while.(less)

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Oct 04, 2010 Dlora rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: murder-mystery

Shakespeare's Counselor has nothing to do with Shakespeare (unlike the last book I read). Shakespeare is a small town in Arkansas where Lily Bard has settled down to try to overcome the effects of a horrific rape in her past that has irrevocably changed her life and personality into someone she barely recognizes. This series is one of Charlaine Harris's darker stories because of the psychological damage her main character is dealing with, trying to just to survive each day. In this story, Lily r...more Shakespeare's Counselor has nothing to do with Shakespeare (unlike the last book I read). Shakespeare is a small town in Arkansas where Lily Bard has settled down to try to overcome the effects of a horrific rape in her past that has irrevocably changed her life and personality into someone she barely recognizes. This series is one of Charlaine Harris's darker stories because of the psychological damage her main character is dealing with, trying to just to survive each day. In this story, Lily reluctantly joins a rape counseling group to get a handle on her devastating nightmares and the fear and violence they generate in her. The group sessions seem to be helping the attendees but then they learn that their counselor is being stalked when the stalking pattern escalates to the murder of a new member of their group.

Shakespeare's Counselor is not a light-weight, humorous mystery. In fact there is precious little humor at all and Lily's attitude about life and people is a survivalist mentality--hard, realistic, grim, and unhopeful-- not usually the kind of story I like to read, but I admire the determination and hard work Lily is going through to just live; it's a story of redemptive growth. Lily's reaction to her trauma reveals itself in her reluctance to talk with people much or share personal information, she can't stand to be touched or hugged and is "repulsed by people who [are] messy with their emotions", and she has distanced herself from her family despite her love for them. Her way of coping with the scars of her past is to feel in control by working out and becoming physically strong enough to protect herself, keeping her surroundings clean and orderly, and never letting others best her. I tend to only like characters I admire, and I don't necessarily admire Lily, but I understand her coping mechanism and the progress she is making to change herself. In this series, she is moving away from the brink of suicidal self-hatred and pain, horror and fear, just hanging on from minute to minute, then day to day, and finally beginning to find some meaning in life and connection with others. One reviewer described my reaction to these novels: "Lily has such an engaging voice, full of pain and redemption, that the collection of clues and the unfolding of the crime take a back seat to her personal story."(less)

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Jul 28, 2010 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everyone's favorite housecleaner is working on a career change. Lily Bard is back for her fifth case, and this time it is going to take place just as she is getting her troubled life back in order. The newlywed, who married private investigator Jack Leeds in the previous novel, has started as an apprentice investigator with him in the hopes of getting a better handle on her finances. Considering her previous novice experience and an innate skill for solving crimes, it is not a surprising choice....more Everyone's favorite housecleaner is working on a career change. Lily Bard is back for her fifth case, and this time it is going to take place just as she is getting her troubled life back in order. The newlywed, who married private investigator Jack Leeds in the previous novel, has started as an apprentice investigator with him in the hopes of getting a better handle on her finances. Considering her previous novice experience and an innate skill for solving crimes, it is not a surprising choice.

While Lily has some success with her first two assignments, her next big case is going to be dealing once again with death. She has decided to join a support group for victims of rape at the local clinic. The group is led by Tamsin Lynd, a counselor who just moved to Shakespeare a year earlier in the hopes of escaping the eyes of a stalker who has been tracking her for years since she was living with her husband in Cleveland.

On Lily's third meeting, the group arrives to find that a new member who was supposed to be joining the group has turned up dead in Tamsin's office at the clinic. The woman is loosely tied to one of the members of the support group, but it quickly becomes clear to the police that the murder is likely tied to Tamsin's stalker. Such ties become even clearer as Tamsin and her husband find themselves being confronted with a series of harassing attacks.

There are also a few other new characters in town in the form of a new police detective and a new deputy. Both seem like likely suspects the more Lily follows up on details.

I thought Lily and Jack really get a chance to develop even further as characters. It is great seeing Lily being able to finally feel less held back by the horrible experiences surrounding her rape.

As for the case itself, I thought it was a really interesting concept, but it struggles with a very disappointing conclusion. I felt kind of like a balloon with the air let out. Unfortunately, this seems to be where the series has stopped as Harris has focused more on her two supernatural mystery series, including the Sookie Stackhouse books.(less)

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May 16, 2010 Starling rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm giving this book 5 stars. The others in the series only got 4 stars, but this one has something extra.

Charlaine Harris writes the best final books for a series I've ever seen. Her characters grow and you can see them moving on from where they were in the first book. Whatever the threads were that moved from one book to the other, get tied up, while making it obvious that life did go one even if we didn't get to see it do that. As with the Harper Connelly series, there could easily be more bo...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Marianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed-copy-returned

Shakespeare’s Counselor is the fifth in the Lily Bard series by Charlaine Harris. Lily Bard, Shakespeare’s first-rate house cleaner, has decided to train as a Private Investigator, so is working for Jack Leeds. She has also finally admitted that she needs counselling for the trauma she suffered some years ago in Memphis, so joins a group of rape survivors moderated by therapist Tamsin Lynd. But Tamsin has some problems of her own, in the form of a persistent and dangerous stalker. When one of th...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Doris rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: don-t-intend-to-read

This was a decent book, and had some really interesting plot turns, especially with the two imported police officers, both of whom were present in Shakespeare, Arkansas for their own purposes, neither of which would really stand the light of day.

I really enjoyed the strong woman, empowered woman, theme. I did not like that at first she refused to interact with or help other women except on a business level.

However, the one point which spoiled (or maybe that is soiled) the entire book for me dea...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Petty Witter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A great ending to the series, I think it wise of the author to end it now before it all becomes too formulaic, the plots and characters totally predictable.

Probably the most far-fetched of all the books and yet despite this it was my favourite.

Not perfect by any means, largely unfeasible, at times lacking focus and with an ending that left me feeling a tad confused, but finally I got to know a slightly more mellow, less robotic Lily.

Also ten out of ten to Charlaine Harris who, through Lily's th...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Angela James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, mystery

I'm relieved that this is the last book (so far) in the series and I can bring my compulsive reading of books I didn't even totally like to an end! I found myself disliking Lily more with each book, and yet completely, compellingly fascinated by her and her story. Maybe that was the point? I thought this was the weakest of the five, and reading the series back to back so closely resulted in noticing the inconsistencies from book to book a bit more than I might otherwise have. Also, lose/loose ty...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Bea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shakespeare, Arkansas, is the town in which Lily Bard, a housecleaner, lives. This is the fifth book in the series (A Lily Bard Mystery). In this book, the reader is finally told about the kidnapping trauma that Lily experienced when younger. To handle the feelings that are still below the surface (and which are starting to show in her relationship with her husband), she joins a therapy group. One night, she arrives to find the door locked. When Lily and other members of the group finally get in...more

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May 17, 2012 Martha van Zyl rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. So many snarls repressed in these five books. And yes, Charlaine Harris believes getting the heroines preggers and not have them know about it, because they can for whatever medical reason not possible BE pregnant, is very clever. It's not. It insults the reader's intelligence: in both instances I was immediately aware that both Roe (Aurora Teagarden series) and Lily were pregnant as soon as their "symptoms" were mentioned - and I've never been pregnant myself. So how is it possible that two int...more

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

Shelves: mystery

This is the fifth--and final--book in The Lily Bard Mysteries Omnibus.

After waking up one morning and almost strangling her husband, Jack encourages Lily to attend a therapy group for rape victims. No matter how much time goes by, Lily can't shake the terrible nightmares of what happened to her. The dark incident that changed her life, changed who she was, is a dark stain constantly haunting her, especially when she's asleep. So she agrees to go.

To her surprise, she actually doesn't mind it. She...more

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Aug 14, 2011 Trendhater73: S. Bledsoe rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the highest ratings I have given a Charlaine Harris book. It is the final book in her Lily Bard series and by far the best. It took me two books to really like Lily, because she reminded me a lot of myself. In fact, she embodied a lot of the things I wish I could change and move past. We are not identical by any means, but share similarities. Half way through this books, I knew that I had really grown to love and sympathize with her, because I found myself shedding a few tears ove...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was, as usual with Charlaine Harris, engrossed in the book and couldn't put it down. It is a fitting end to the Lily Bard series in that Lily is well on her way to healing and is settling into her new life with Jack. (Though one can wish that Lily could be revisited in a new book.) Lily says some pretty profound things that in some ways form the heart of the book. I will sum it up as: life isn't fair, and you have to take care of yourself. But it's much more than that, and not so grim. Also, I...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Chance rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought this one was a pretty solid, if ultimately unnecessary, conclusion to Lily Bard's saga. It bridges the gap for her between cleaning woman and the woman she becomes in her Sookie Stackhouse cameos.

This one was a change of pace, because Lily isn't working her cleaning jobs. I kinda missed them, but the private investigating stuff she got to do was fun to read about.

The core mystery sat on the periphery of this one. Lily gets tangentially involved, but she never really affects the case o...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Laura Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the final (unfortunately) book in the Lily Bard mystery series. I'm in love with almost anything written by Charlaine Harris, and this is no exception. This series has less humor than the Sookie Stackhouse books, but I don't miss it. Lily is such a series character that I feel like being serious right along with her.

You can read the official synopsis of the book for more on the plot. Sure, there is stalking and murders, but the characters are what I cherish about Harris' books. It's nic...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

So much happens in such a short book. That's true of all the titles in this series, but this one was especially ambitious in the way it brought, very successfully, a sense of hopeful and hard-earned conclusion.

One thing I love about these books is the low-rent setting and all the nods to reality and class difference, the opposite of glossy television shows that ignore characters' salary constraints. The characters shop at Walmart; Lily cleans houses for a living and scrapes by, without health i...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-bounty-hunter, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Lily and Jack... married (though they haven't told anyone)... and through this book Lily articulates that love makes you vulnerable, yet love makes you strong... and this book is a path that reinforces it...

story begins with Lily having a nightmare about her ordeal, and strangling Jack - until he finally wakes her... and she decides to go to a group therapy for rape victims... under a counselor who moved to Shakespeare a year ago - Tamsin Lynd and her husband Cliff Eggers... Lily goes to 3 sess...more

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Oct 17, 2011 kaoyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the last book in the Lily Bard series, and I was sad to see it end. Lily finally decides to confront her feelings about her kidnapping and torture and goes to a counseling session in town. She's making progress but on the third night of the sessions the women show up and find a woman murdered and one of their group missing. Again, she and Jack work to solve the puzzle, especially since Lily life is being threatened. There are some nice elements to wrap up the story. Still, I liked the ch...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

A good solid conclusion to the series. All of these books have been highly enjoyable. I am sorry to see the series end. Guess I'm just going to have to get started on all of Harris' other works!

(If this review seems familiar, that's because I had a goodreads account before that I'm copying my previous reviews from. Why did I create a new account, you ask? Well, because when I logged out of that account and then logged back in, I find that that account appears not be linked to any of my known em...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Bianca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-series

Harris is truly a visionary when it comes to writing book series. Through this 5 book series Lily has been on a personal journey of growth. At the beginning she was focused on surviving one day at a time, keeping to herself and earning enough money to get by from week to week. As the series progressed Lily started to open up to people and was not as closed to the idea of friendship. Simultaneously, Lilt started to live, not simply exist.

In this final book the plot is as twisted as ever. In a tur...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Bonnie Randall rated it 2 of 5 stars

The series finale for Lily Bard ranked a disappointing 'ok' for me; Lily had been such a well-constructed heroine up to this point - she had a brutal backstory that shaped her into the person she was: wary, distrustful, solitary and standoffish. I truly believed this novel would provide her the opportunity to complete her character arc. I was not expecting a fairy godmother-like transformation but hey - a likeable Lily would have been nice. Instead she's standoffish, at times openly churlish (an...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, mystery

The most disappointing thing about this book is that it's the last of the Lily Bard series currently available. Harris is focusing a lot more of her energy on the far more popular Sookie Stackhouse series, which is absolutely her right. But I would love to have another of these to look forward to reading another of the Lily Bard books.

This book has Lily softening quite a bit from previous books. She seeks counseling after she has a PTSD episode has her attacking Jack in her sleep, and, meanwhile...more

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Aug 15, 2009 Vanessa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This, alas, is the last of the five Lily Bard mystery novels that Charlaine Harris wrote before the Sookie Stackhouse gold mine arrived at her literary doorstep. And they are probably my favorite series of hers. The main character is a housekeeper who is living somewhat off the grid in small town Arkansas after a brutal gang rape a few years before. She fills her spare time taking karate lessons and working out with near obsessive fervor. She is also trying to make room in her solitary life for...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Danielle Mccormick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, fiction

Another excellent installment in the Lily Bard mysteries! (and the final one) I will miss these characters and this town. I really enjoyed reading about such a strong, independent woman whose life always winds up raveled in mystery and violence.

This installment was one of the better ones, Lily's character sort of comes full circle in the end. And it's a bit longer, which is what I've been looking for. All of these books are great but slightly too short for my taste. I just wanted them to last a...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Meena rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up because I like reading books about therapy and psychological issues. Instead I found a murder mystery on my hands. Usually, I don't pick up murder mysteries because I dislike the images I conjure up when I read them. Usually, they are too intense for me. But something about Charlaine Harris's writing allowed me to enjoy a story with both seriousness and humor. The important themes of abuse, rape, and love are tackled in this novel, but it is not weighed down by these issues. I'v...more

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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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Quotes from Shakespeare's Counselor

“When I went home…I promised myself, I would take a cool shower and I would read. After a day spent dealing with others, television was just one more batch of voices to listen to; I’d rather have a book in my hands than the remote control.” — 5 people liked it

“Probably these children were not demonic. Possibly they were quite typical. But collectively, they were hell.” — 2 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99472.Shakespeare_s_Counselor?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309286932l/99472.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99472.Shakespeare_s_Counselor?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris[/url]

Shakespeare's Counselor (Lily Bard Mysteries #5)

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