Sookie Stackhouse -Sookie’s telepathic powers manifest as a child, and her parents initially consider her to be mentally ill, going so far as taking her to a      psychologist and “having her brain scanned every other month”. However, Sookie mentions one incident when her father asked her to “listen” in on a business    meeting to discern the true intentions of a potential client. She told her father the man intended to take his money and her father took her advice, indicating his unspoken belief in her telepathic ability. Her parents die in a flood when she was seven years old, leaving her and her older brother Jason Stackhouse to be raised by their grandmother.

 Bill Compton -Bill lived in Bon Temps, Louisiana and fought for the South during the Civil War. A farmer, he was married and had children, and returned to his  family after the war. He was made vampire in 1867 by the vampire Lorena, with whom he had a long and stormy relationship. After being sent to  investigate Sookie Stackhouse’s telepathic abilities at the behest of Sophie-Anne LeClerq, the vampire Queen of Louisiana, Bill returns to his ancestral home in  Bon Temps, which is separated from the Stackhouse home by the Bon Temps cemetery. 

 Sam Merlotte – Sam owns the bar Merlotte’s, which is the place of employment of Sookie and the other waitresses that are being killed off. Sam is the local  shape-shifter and turn into werewolf and then human again at will.

Jason Stackhouse - Sookie’s brother, road crew supervisor for Bon Temps. Is known for not being too bright and is quite the ladies man. Unfortunately, the ladies he involves himself with turn up dead.

 Tara Thornton -  Sookie’s best friend. Tara’s mother, Lettie Mae, is described as an alcoholic who has brought nothing but misery to Tara’s life. Even though  Tara and her mother have an unstable relationship they do have a strong mother-daughter bond. Tara is also the cousin of Lafayette Reynolds, who works as  the short order cook at Merlotte’s and deals vampire blood as a street drug called “V”.

 Eric Northman - Little is known about Eric, except that he is the likely oldest and most powerful vampire in Area 5, the territory that includes the small town    in Northern Louisiana where Sookie lives, where he serves as Sheriff. The novels hint that he was probably a Viking from present-day Sweden in his human life,  and Harris has stated that he had children while human, and was very proud of them. Eric owns a vampire bar in Shreveport called Fangtasia, that serves as his                   headquarters. He runs the bar with the help of his vampire offspring Pam and a few others.

Supporting Characters

• Lafayette Reynolds - Sookie & Jason’s co-worker and Tara’s cousin. He deals in drugs and prostitution for extra income.
• Detective Andy Bellefleur  - the detective investigating Jason Stackhouse.
• Arlene Fowler  - a waitress working with Sookie.
• Hoyt Fortenberry  - a friend of Jason and Rene.
• Sheriff Bud Dearborne - the town sheriff.
• Pam -  assistant to Eric and bouncer in his bar; “made” (turned into a vampire) by Eric.
• Maryann - a wealthy “social worker.”
• Lettie Mae Thornton - Tara’s mother.
• Terry Bellefleur - cousin of Detective Andy Bellefleur, Iraq war veteran, and bartender at Merlotte’s.
• Jessica -  a young girl “made” by Bill as a part of his punishment for murdering a fellow vampire.
• Rene Lenier/Drew Marshall - Arlene’s “Cajun” boyfriend who works on the road crew with Jason Stackhouse.
• Longshadow - first bartender of Fangtasia
• Dawn Green - Sookie’s co-worker and friend, Jason’s girlfriend.
• Amy Burley - Jason Stackhouse’s bohemian, drug addicted love interest.
• Adele Hale Stackhouse - Sookie and Jason’s grandmother, nicknamed “Gran”.
• Eddie Gautier - a vampire supplying V for Lafayette.
• Maudette Pickens - a local woman of loose morals. She had videotaped an encounter with a bald and tattooed vampire.