The supernatural community in Bon Temps, Lousiana, is reeling from two hard blows: the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit in the up-north city of Rhodes. Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, but too many vampires – some friends, some not – were killed or injured, and her were-tiger boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. It’s clear that things are changing, whether the weres and vamps like it not not. And Sookie, Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to the leader of the local vampire community, is caught up in those changes. She’s about to find herself facing danger and death and, not for the first time, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood has stopped flowing, Sookie’s world will be forever altered… (Backcover text)

Kirjailija

Charlaine Harris (s. 1951) yhdysvaltalainen rikoskirjailija. Harrisin teoksiin yhdistyy usein fantasia- ja kauhuelementtejä. Harris on julkaissut yli 30 kirjaa, jotka muodostavat mm. Aurora Teagarden-, Lily Bard- (Shakespeare), Sookie Stackhouse- (The Southern Vampire mysteries/ True Blood), Harper Connelly- ja Midnight Texas -sarjat. Gummerus on julkaissut Harrisin Sookie Stackhouse-sarjan suomennettuna. Harris on päässyt New York Timesin bestseller-listalle.

Charlaine Harris, Wikipedia 

Charlaine Harrisin kotisivut

The fanatical kidnappers from the deadly Ulster Liberation Army had hatched the perfect plot to bring centuries of foreign domination to a sudden, ruthless end. Their targets: The Prince of Wales, his wife and their young baby. But Jack Ryan’s Marine training triggered automatic responses when he saw the terrorists mount their vicious attack, and his courage foiled their attempt. His actions won him the admiration of an entire nation. They also roused the enmity and hatred of that nation’s most dangerous men. Now, Ryan and his family have become U.L.A. targets. As Ryan delves deeper into the murky world of counter-intelligence, he uncovers connections between the U.L.A. and international underground networks that pitch him into the most desperate struggle of his life and place him in the forefront of today’s deadliest war – the battle against international terrorism. (Backcover text)

Kirjailija

Thomas Clancy Jr. (1947, Baltimore – 2013, Baltimore) oli yhdysvaltalainen menestyskirjailija, joka tunnetaan realistiseen kuvaukseen pyrkivistä, vakoiluun, sotilastekniikkaan ja kansainvälisiin suhteisiin painottuvista jännityskirjoista. Hänen on yleisesti katsottu aloittaneen niin sanotun teknotrilleri-kirjallisuuden. Clancyn kirjoittamia kirjoja on painettu noin 80 miljoonaa kappaletta.

Tom Clancy, Wikipedia (fi)

October 1914: the destroyer Svea emerges from the Stockholm archipelago bearing south-south-east. On board is Lars Tobiasson-Svartman, a naval engineer charged with making depth soundings to find a navigable channel for the Swedish navy. The engineer is fascinated by measurement, and his instinct for his profession is reflected in the comfortable domesticity he enjoys with his wife. Close to the waters where soundings are taken Tobiasson-Svartman alights on a barren skerry, presumed uninhabited, and is surprised to discover there a young woman. Despite her almost feral appearance, something about her strikes him. The mission is a success and the Svea returns to Gothenburg. Tobiasson-Svartman, however, remains haunted by this chance encounter; his equilibrium has been disturbed, and he feels compelled to return. (Backcover text)

Kirjailija

Henning Mankell (1948, Tukholma - 2015, Göteborg) on ruotsalainen kirjailija, joka työskenteli myös teatterin parissa. Hän on kirjoittanut yli 40 romaania, joista tunnetuimmat ovat Kurt Wallander -rikosromaanit. Hänen kirjojaan on käännetty yli 40 kielelle, ja niitä on myyty yli 40 miljoonaa kappaletta.

Henning Mankell, Wikipedia (fi)  

Henning Mankell, Kirjailijan viralliset sivut

"The bell tolls at midnight as death requires it." 

Ulster, Northern Ireland:

A petty criminal kills a woman in a drunken car crash. Her sons swear revenge.

London:

Sean Dillon and his colleagues in the ‘Prime Minister’s private army’, fresh from defeating a deadly al-Qaeda operation, receive a warning: ‘You may think you have weakened us, but you have only made us stronger.’

Washington DC:

A special projects director with the CIA, frustrated at not getting Presidential permission for his daring anti-terrorism plan, decides to put it in motion anyway. Soon, the ripples from these events will meet and overlap, creating havoc in their wake. Desperate men will act, secrets will be revealed – and the midnight bell will toll.

(Back cover text)

Kirjailija

Jack Higgins (s. 1929 Newcastle upon Tyne, Yhdistynyt kuningaskunta) on tunnettu jännitykirjailija. Hänen tunnetuin romaaninsa on Kotka on laskeutunut (engl. The Eagle Has Landed, 1975).

Jack Higgins, Wikipedia (fi)