The Southern Vampire Mysteries (informally known as The Sookie Stackhouse Novels / Chronicles and retronymed the True Blood Series upon their reprinting) is a series of books written by The New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris, first published in 2001. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries series, Harris has developed a detailed mythology, an alternate history that assumes that the supernatural is real and that as of the beginning of the series vampires have only been public knowledge for a couple of years. Other supernatural beings, such as such as werewolves, shapeshifters, etc., exist but do not go public until later in the series. Its history has otherwise unfolded so closely to that of the real world that the series contains occasional references to popular culture.
The series is narrated in first person perspective by Sookie Stackhouse. She is a waitress and telepath in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The first book in the series, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. The tenth book, Dead in the Family, was released on May 04, 2010. Harris was originally contracted to write 10 books, but she revealed at Comic Con 2009 that she signed a contract for three additional books.
