Sookie Stackhouse is an ordinary waitress in small town Bea temp, Louisana
It is a world very much like our own - except for one difference, 4 years ago Vampires "came out of the coffin" and are now a legal part of USA society. In this way it's somewhat like the situation in the Anita Blake (author Laurel Hamilton) novels.
Sookie herself is unusual with a disability, she's a telepath, and that makes dating a virtual impossiblity until a vampire comes to town and she discovers he's her (almost) perfect man. Unfortunatley, at the same time people start getting killed, which most of the locals see as an unlikely co-incidence, and in a small town that can almost be deadly itself.
Full of Southern charm and very erotic prose Harris finds a way to make being the undead fun. I've been watching the series True Blood on HBO and was impressed by how closely the series follows the books so far. I'm looking forward to catching up with this fun series.