Today’s Guest Author may still be writing, loving, and living life to the fullest. Or they may not! Your clue today and every day for WHO AM I during your Mystery Thriller Week event will be the same: This author penned either a Mystery or Thriller genre book that was published. Good luck and try your literary prowess from February 12-22, 2017 for a new prize daily. Enter your email (for prize notification) and multiple choice answer below.
WHO AM I?
Born: 1940
Gender: Female
Bio Information: This author is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the ‘alphabet series’ (“A” Is for Alibi, etc.) featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of another detective novelist, she has said the strongest influence on her crime novels is author Ross Macdonald. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended both the University of Louisville (freshman year) and Western Kentucky State Teachers College (sophomore and junior years) before graduating from the University of Louisville in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and minors in humanities and fine arts. After graduating, she worked as a hospital admissions clerk, a cashier, and a medical secretary in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, California. She began writing when she was 18 and finished her first novel four years later. She continued writing and completed six more manuscripts. Two of these seven novels were published. Unable to find success with her novels, she turned to screenplays. She worked for the next 15 years writing screenplays for television movies, including Sex and the Single Parent, Mark, I Love You, and Nurse. Her screenplay for Walking Through the Fire earned a Christopher Award in 1979. In collaboration with her husband, Steven Humphrey, she also adapted the Agatha Christie novels A Caribbean Mystery and Sparkling Cyanide for television as well as co-writing Killer in the Family and Love on the Run.
Book excerpt: “What seemed questionable, at least in my mind, was the presence of petechiae, which are tiny broken blood vessels, like pinpricks, visible in the area of her eyes. Hard coughing or crying are common causes; sometimes the strain of childbirth or lifting weights. Petechiae can also be a sign of death by asphyxiation.”
“You mean she might have been suffocated?”
“Smothered, yes. There were no fractures of the larynx, hyoid bone, thyroid or cricoid cartilages, and no areas of bruising, which ruled out manual strangulation. Mrs. Lowe had been under doctor’s care. With her history of mental problems, absent any other compelling evidence, Dr. Wilkinson — the coroner — felt a finding of suicide was appropriate. I put up what objections I could, but I have no formal medical training, and his experience and expertise prevailed. For my part, I was never fully persuaded.”
Thank you for your participation. Check back tomorrow for the next edition of WHO AM I for a new prize donated by another fantastic MTW author. Thank you for playing!
Today’s WHO AM I prize is sponsored by our very own MTW author Alison Golden. You may find more information about her other fantastic books at:
