Authors put Louisiana in the spotlight in 2009

The year brought dozens of wonderful books from Louisiana authors — and those outside the state writing about Louisiana. Here are a few of the year's literary highlights:Self-taught writer Louis Maistros created a dark, fascinating tale of death and rebirth in the Crescent City during the Jazz Age in The Sound of Building Coffins.

Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse paranormal mystery series set in the town of Bon Temps in northern Louisiana, which gave birth to the HBO series True Blood, gave us an update on Sookie in May with Dead and Gone.

New Orleans author Nevada Barr, who spent years in the National Park System, now spins mysteries around a park ranger named Anna Pigeon. Barr's latest novel in the series, Borderline, took Pigeon to Big Bend Park in Texas.

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