Author:Dustin Thomason
From Dustin Thomason, co-author of bestselling phenomenon The Rule of Four, 12-21 is an edge-of-your-seat novel charting a heroic race to save the world. And as the fateful date approaches, 12-21 is the novel all readers will be talking about.
An ancient prophecy foretells that the world will end on 21 December 2012 . . .
In Central America, a treasure hunter discovers a Maya relic - a mysterious and ornate codex - but when he smuggles it into the US, he brings with him an old and deadly secret . . .
Early in December 2012, the codex comes to Chel Manu, a Maya world authority. She is torn between the chance to translate the codex herself and her duty to alert the authorities. Meanwhile, in an LA hospital, an unknown man is dying of a rare, contagious disease. When Dr Gabriel Stanton is called in, he realises that this is no ordinary infection - and it will spread uncontrollably.
Stanton and Chel must race to decipher the codex's secrets and prevent the prophesied apocalypse . . .
12-21 is a thrilling debut, marking the arrival of Dustin Thomason as a major solo talent.
Praise for Dustin Thomason:
'One part The Da Vinci Code, one part The Name of Rose . . . A blazingly good yarn' San Francisco Chronicle
'Weaves together the past and present seamlessly, I enjoyed it tremendously' Observer
Dustin Thomason graduated from Harvard College and received his MD from Columbia University. He is the co-author of the international bestseller The Rule of Four and has written and produced several television series, including Lie to Me. He lives in Venice Beach, California.
Mankell writes with both a social conscience and great humour…it is both passionate and entertaining, and a strong indication that the Swedes are not as lugubrious as their crime fiction makes them out to be
—— Sarah Crompton , Daily TelegraphThree girls escaping horror and hardship to make new lives in Sweden become the inspiration for troubled poet Jesper. But Mankell is too clever and cunning an author to go down any predictable path. Inspirational
—— Henry Sutton , Daily MirrorThis quirky offering sets out to tackle the weighty topics of immigration and how refugees affect Swedish society
—— Doug Johnston , Independent on SundayMankell is giving a voice to those who do not possess one. Some may feel that there are two kinds of novel here, which remain obstinately heterogeneous. But such is Mankell’s skill that we surrender to whatever mode the book settles into – and it might be argued that the comic sugaring of the pill in The Shadow Girls makes the hidden agenda all the more potent
—— Barry Forshaw , IndependentAs we are drawn into the shadow world of immigrant life in Sweden, Mankell’s blend of comedy and moving drama provides a voice for those who lose theirs on their journey from oppression to imagined freedom; freedom which is often transient and blighted with prejudice and racism
—— Irish ExaminerFascinating novel
—— Bella MagazineA passionate and enjoyable tale that intertwines the story of a failed writer with those of the refugee women to whom he teaches creative writing
—— Sunday TelegraphMankell adroitly mixes cheerful satire and harrowing detail, and this hymn to the mistreated and marginalised sparks with passion
—— James Smart , Guardian