The Southern Vampire Mysteries

The Southern Vampire Mysteries, also known as The True Blood Novels and The Sookie Stackhouse Novels, is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris. The first installment, Dead Until Dark (2001), won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001 and later served as the source material for the HBO drama series True Blood (2008–2014). The book series has been retronymed the True Blood Series upon reprinting, to capitalize on the television adaptation. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood Series, Harris develops a detailed mythology and an alternative history scenario in which supernatural beings exist. Not only vampires but also werewolves and fairies exist in this scenario, and a growing public awareness of their presence is part of the plot development. The setting is contemporary, and the stories occasionally reference popular culture. The series is narrated in first person perspective by Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress and a telepath in the fictional town of Bon Temps in northwestern Louisiana. Harris was originally contracted to write 10 books, but she revealed at Comic-Con 2009 that she had signed a contract for three additional books. On May 14, 2012, Harris' Facebook administrator confirmed that the 13th book, Dead Ever After, would be the final book of the series.