Location-Boston
Hank Phillippi Ryan
A nationally bestselling author of 11 mystery novels, Ryan has won multiple prestigious awards for her crime fiction: five Agathas, three Anthonys, the Daphne, two Macavitys, and for The Other Woman, the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. National reviews have called her a “master at crafting suspenseful mysteries” and “a superb and gifted storyteller.”
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S. A. Cosby
S.A Cosby
Location – Rural Virginia
S.A. Cosby is the New York Times national best selling award-winning author from Southeastern Virginia. His books include MY DARKEST PRAYER, BLACKTOP WASTELAND, Amazon’s #1 Mystery and Thriller of the Year and #3 Best Book of 2020 overall, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Winner of the LA Times Book Award for Mystery or Thrillers and a Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist and the winner of the ITW award for hard cover book of the year, the Macavity for best novel of the year, the Anthony, The Barry , a honorable mention from the ALA Black Caucus and was a finalists for the CWA Golden Dagger. He is also author of the best selling RAZORBLADE TEARS which was also nominated for numerous awards as well
His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, and his story “Slant-Six” was selected as a Distinguished Story in Best American Mystery Stories for 2016. His short story “The Grass Beneath My Feet” won the Anthony Award for Best Short Story in 2019. His writing has been called “gritty and heartbreaking” and “dark, thrilling and tragic” and “raw ,emotional and profound ” (Amazon)
For more about his 2023 book – All Sinners Bleed
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Alafair Burke
Alafair Burke is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of over twenty novels.
In addition to the standalone novels that have earned her a reputation as “a genius for plot” (Oprah Magazine) and “a virtuoso” of domestic suspense (Minneapolis Star Tribune), she authors “two power house series” (Sun-Sentinel) featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. Alafair is also the co-author of the “Under Suspicion” series with Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark.
Her 2025 release “The Note”, is a new thriller about a prank played by three women on vacation in the Hamptons causes them to get caught up in a police investigation over a missing person.
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Tom Perrotta
Tom Perrotta is often hailed as the “American Chekhov” of the suburbs, a writer who has spent over three decades dissecting the quiet desperation, suburban ennui, and darkly comic absurdities of middle-class life. Born in 1961 in Newark, New Jersey, Perrotta’s perspective was shaped by his upbringing as the son of a postal worker. This background instilled in him a “down-to-earth, egalitarian” literary voice that treats everyday struggles with the gravity typically reserved for epic drama.
Perrotta’s ascent into the literary mainstream was fueled by his uncanny ability to turn local settings into universal metaphors. His breakout novel, Election (1998), utilized a high school student council race to satirize the broader American political landscape. The introduction of Tracy Flick—a character defined by relentless, terrifying ambition—created a permanent cultural archetype, further cemented by Alexander Payne’s iconic film adaptation. He followed this success with Little Children (2004), a novel that transformed the mundane world of playgrounds and neighborhood pools into a psychological battlefield. By exploring the secret lives and unfulfilled desires of stay-at-home parents, Perrotta exposed the “Dante’s Inferno” hiding behind manicured lawns. The book solidified his reputation for writing with a “crisp and light” style that never shies away from moral complexity.While realism was his initial forte, Perrotta took a daring thematic turn with The Leftovers (2011). Using a “pseudo-Rapture” as a catalyst, he shifted his focus toward communal grief and the search for meaning in an indifferent universe. The novel’s adaptation into a celebrated HBO series, which Perrotta co-created, marked a major evolution in his career. He became a rare “writer’s writer” who successfully navigated the worlds of prestige television and literary fiction, a trend he continued with the 2019 adaptation of his novel Mrs. Fletcher.Perrotta’s prose is characterized by its lack of judgment. Whether his characters are struggling with sexual identity, religious zealotry, or professional failure, he presents them with a compassionate clarity. He draws heavy inspiration from his former teacher, Tobias Wolff, and the disciplined storytelling of Raymond Chandler. Like his father’s commitment to his mail route, Perrotta maintains a rigorous work ethic, viewing his writing as a way to process subconscious material that holds deep personal and social significance.In his most recent works, Perrotta has explored the complexities of aging and the weight of the past. Tracy Flick Can’t Win (2022) revisited his most famous character in middle age, finding her still fighting for a seat at the table. His 2026 novel, Ghost Town, marks another shift toward a “pared down” and essential style, focusing on abandonment and the lingering presence of those we have lost. Living in Belmont, Massachusetts, Perrotta remains a vital voice in American letters, consistently proving that there is nothing “small” about suburban life. His legacy is defined by a body of work that finds original and beautiful truths in the most ordinary of places.
