Eric fears the king will try to acquire Sookie to use in his Nevada business dealings, so Eric tricks Sookie, who is unfamiliar with vampire marriage protocols, into marrying him.

Eric, as the only Louisiana Sheriff to survive the defeat of Queen Sophie-Anne's reign, is in a tenuous position and struggles with Victor Madden, the king's representative. Meanwhile, the King of Nevada, Felipe de Castro, consolidates his power in Louisiana. Sam leaves Bon Temps to help his mother and leaves Sookie in temporary charge of the bar. Sam's mother, who is also a shifter, is shot by Sam's step-father, and Sam's non-shifter siblings, who did not know their parents and brother were shifters, have some troubles related to the announcement. However, Merlotte's waitress Arlene, who has been dating a member of the anti-vampire Fellowship of the Sun (FoS), takes the revelation badly and quits her job in a fury. Most residents of Bon Temps take the new revelation fairly well Merlotte's initially sees some business slowdown, but then it returns to normal.

Sookie's boss, Sam Merlotte, reveals to the community that he is a shifter, and Tray Dawson reveals he is a Were, with both men changing into their animal forms at Merlotte's Bar on the evening of the announcement. The revelation of the existence of weres and shifters causes some problems. At the same time, the King of Nevada, who now leads Louisiana as well, begins consolidating his power, which has a number of repercussions. In this novel, the weres and shifters make their presence known, following the example of the vampires.

Dead and Gone is the ninth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.

Sookie book 3