Love is Murder

by Sandra Brown

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  AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES

  LORI ARMSTRONG left the firearms industry in 2000. The first book in her Julie Collins series, Blood Ties, was nominated for a 2006 Shamus Award for Best First Novel. Hallowed Ground received a 2007 Shamus Award nomination and won the 2007 WILLA Cather Literary Award. Shallow Grave was nominated for a 2008 High Plains Book Award and finaled for the 2008 WILLA Cather Literary Award. Snow Blind won the 2009 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original. The first book in the Mercy Gunderson series, No Mercy, won the 2011 Shamus Award for Best Hardcover Novel and was a finalist for the WILLA Cather Literary Award. Mercy Kill released in January 2011. Dark Mercy will release in 2013. Lori serves on the Board of Directors of Mystery Writers of America and lives in Rapid City, South Dakota.

  JEFF AYERS is the author of the bestselling Voyages of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion. He reviews for the Associated Press, Library Journal, Booklist and RT Book Reviews. He has interviewed authors for such publications as Writer Magazine, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Author Magazine and The Big Thrill. Jeff lives near Seattle, Washington.

  A born romantic, BEVERLY BARTON fell in love with The Beauty and the Beast epic at an early age, when her grandfather bought her an illustrated copy of the famous fairy tale. Before she learned to read and write, Beverly’s vivid imagination created magical worlds and fabulous characters inside her mind.

  Movies fascinated Beverly, and by the time she was seven she was rewriting the movies she saw on television and at the local theater to give them all happy endings. By the age of nine she’d penned her first novel. She wrote short stories, TV scripts, poetry and novels throughout high school and into college.

  After her marriage and the births of her children, Beverly continued to be a voracious reader and a devoted moviegoer, but she put her writing aspirations on hold until her children were teenagers.

  When Beverly rediscovered an old dream of becoming a published writer, no one was more supportive of her aspirations than her family. After writing over seventy books, receiving numerous awards and becoming a New York Times bestselling author, Beverly’s career became her dream come true.

  WILLIAM BERNHARDT is the nationally bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including the world-renowned Ben Kincaid series of mystery-thrillers—Primary Justice, Capitol Betrayal. Library Journal dubbed him the “master of the courtroom thriller.” Other Bernhardt novels include Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness, Double Jeopardy, and the critically acclaimed Dark Eye. He has received the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State University) the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania), and the Southern Writer’s Guild’s Gold Medal Award. In addition to his novels, he has edited two anthologies as fundraisers for charitable causes, written two books for children, published essays, short stories and poems, constructed crossword puzzles for the New York Times, and written the book, music and lyrics for a musical. He is also one of the nation’s most in-demand writing instructors. His renowned small group writing seminars have produced several bestselling authors over the past decade. His instructional DVDs, The Fundamentals of Fiction, are used by writing programs across the nation. You can learn more about him at www.williambernhardt.com, or you can email him at willbern@gmail.com.

  ALLISON BRENNAN is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author of eighteen romantic thrillers and numerous short stories. RT Book Reviews calls Allison “a master of suspense” and her books “haunting,” “mesmerizing,” “pulse-pounding” and “emotionally complex.” Lee Child called the first Lucy Kincaid book “a world-class nail-biter,” and Lisa Gardner says, “Brennan knows how to deliver.”

  Allison lives on two acres outside Sacramento, California, with her husband Dan, their five children and assorted animals. She’s often said she has no life outside of writing and kids—though she takes her research seriously by role-playing in SWAT training exercises, practicing at the gun range, and hanging out at the morgue. The fourth book in the Lucy Kincaid series, Silenced, was released by Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press on April 24, 2012 and will be followed by Stalked in the fall. Find her online at www.allisonbrennan.com.

  ROBERT BROWNE is an award-winning screenwriter and ITW Thriller Award–nominated author of five critically acclaimed thrillers. His first novel, Kiss Her Goodbye, was filmed as a pilot for a CBS television series and his latest, The Paradise Prophecy, is in development with Temple Hill Productions. Rob lives in California with his wife, two cats and a dog, and is always at work on the next book…

  Inspired by a U.S. tissue harvesting case, PAMELA CALLOW wrote Damaged (June 2010), the first installment of her legal thriller series for MIRA Books. Pamela drew on her experience working in a blue-chip corporate environment to create series lead Kate Lange, a struggling thirtysomething lawyer, whom RT Book Reviews hailed as, “…a standout character.” Damaged was chosen by Levy Home Entertainment as a June “Need to Read” Pick, with Top Ten Bestseller placement in Target and Walmart.

  Indefensible (MIRA, January 2011), the second book of the Kate Lange thriller series, was described by Omnimystery Reviews as, “…a superbly plotted and suspenseful novel with a…riveting, dynamic storyline.” Tattooed, the series’ third installment, will be published in 2012.

  Prior to making writing a career, Pamela worked as a strategy consultant for international firm Andersen Consulting. She is a member of the Nova Scotia Bar, and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration.

  Pamela lives in Nova Scotia, along with her husband, two children and a pug. She loves to go for walks (unlike her dog), drink coffee, and is currently working on the next installment of the Kate Lange thriller series. Visit her at www.pamelacallow.com or at www.facebook.com/PamelaCallowAuthor.

  Previously a television director, union organizer, theater technician and law student, LEE CHILD was fired and on the dole when he hatched a harebrained scheme to write a bestselling novel, thus saving his family from ruin. Killing Floor went on to win worldwide acclaim. The hero of his series, Jack Reacher, besides being fictional, is a kindhearted soul who allows Lee lots of spare time for reading, listening to music, the Yankees and Aston Villa. Visit him online at www.leechild.com.

  J. T. ELLISON is the international award-winning author of seven critically acclaimed novels, multiple short stories and has been published in over twenty countries. A former White House staffer, she has worked extensively with the Metro Nashville Police, the FBI and various other law enforcement organizations to research her novels. She lives in Nashville with her husband and a poorly trained cat, and is hard at work on her next novel. Visit www.JTEllison.com for more insight into her wicked imagination, or follow her on Twitter@Thrillerchick.

  BILL FLOYD lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina, with his wife, Amy, and his dog, Max. His first published novel, The Killer’s Wife, won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for 2009. Floyd can often be found in dark music clubs listening to a variety of underground bands. His taste in fiction runs the gamut from literary to genre, with no apologies for either. He is currently working on a novel about secrets and the costs of keeping them. A sampling of his flash fiction can be found at www.billfloydbooks.com.

  New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA TODAY Bestseller CINDY GERARD cut her teeth on the works of Iris Johansan, Tammy Hoag and, of course, Sandra Brown, all of whom wrote romantic fiction before branching into the world of suspense. Cindy also wrote award-winning category romance novels for Bantam, Doubleday, Dell and later for Harlequin Books before coming to the realization that she had bigger, bolder, grittier stories to tell. Her fast-paced, action-packed Bodyguard and Black Ops., Inc. (BOI) series featuring covert paramilitary heroes, quickly became much loved among romantic suspense readers. Cindy’s short story, “Dying to Score,” showcases BOI fan favorites Johnny Duane Reed and Crystal “Tinkerbelle” Debrowski.

  Cindy is a six-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and is proud to display
two RITAs in her office. She considers herself fortunate to count many military families as both readers and friends. Cindy makes her home in Iowa with her husband, Tom, their Brittany Spaniel, Margaret, and their cats, Buddy and Sly. You can find all of Cindy’s books at www.cindygerard.com.

  HEATHER GRAHAM is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over a hundred novels including suspense, paranormal, historical and mainstream Christmas fare. She lives in Miami, Florida, her home, and an easy shot down to the Keys where she can indulge in her passion for diving. Travel, research and ballroom dancing also help keep her sane; she is the mother of five, and also resides with two dogs, a cat and an albino skunk. She is CEO of Slush Pile Productions, a recording company and production house for various charity events. Look her up at www.theoriginalheathergraham.com, www.writersforneworleans.com or www.eheathergraham.com.