It's 1918. Boston. A city in turmoil as soldiers return home from World War One, bringing with them an epidemic of Spanish influenza. Danny Coughlin is the son of one of Boston's most powerful police captains. An undercover cop, he is hunting for revolutionaries and anarchists who, in the aftermath of war, are pledged to overthrow the city's ruling classes. But Danny soon finds his ideals compromised as, drawn into the conflict, his family starts to question where his loyalties really lie. Luther Lawrence is on the run. Having survived a murderous confrontation with a crime boss, he lands a job in the Coughlin household. But it isn't long before his dangerous past and his tenuous present are on a life-threatening collision course. As the city goes into meltdown, Danny and Luther must confront the storm of violence that threatens to engulf them if each is to survive...

丹尼斯•勒翰（Dennis Lehane）

1994年，以硬派侦探小说《战前酒》出道，开创了“派崔克与安琪”私探系列小说。五年内拿下美国推理界夏姆斯奖、安东尼最佳创作奖、贝瑞小说奖、戴利斯奖、马萨诸塞州最佳小说奖等多项重要大奖。

勒翰的作品一直都备受好莱坞的青睐。2001年，根据《神秘河》改编的同名电影获得奥斯卡大奖；2007年，根据“派崔克与安琪”系列第四部改拍成的同名电影《失踪的宝贝》再度被评论界广为看好，并获得奥斯卡最佳女配角提名；2010年，作品《隔离岛》又被改编成电影上映，并创下了近3亿美元的高票房收入。

《命定日》是勒翰的转型之作，这部具有浓厚史诗色彩的社会小说，使他突破了之前只创作悬疑小说的界限。