About the Author

Charles Salzberg, who rarely leaves the island of Manhattan where he was born and raised, began his literary life in the mailroom at New York magazine, thinking somehow it would lead to his real dream: writing the Great American Novel. Restless, and too young (and stupid) to realize the consequences, he left the magazine after only three months and began life as a freelance magazine writer, with absolutely no idea what he was doing.

One thing led to another and, learning early on to never say no to anything, he began writing book reviews, ghost-writing books for others who thought they had something important to say but didn’t know quite how to say it, writing books under his own name and also in collaboration with others.

At the same time, he accidentally fell into teaching writing when a friend whose magazine class was over-subscribed talked him into teaching another section of that class.

His belief that this teaching would be one and out, was seriously challenged after he found himself teaching two, then three writing classes a week.

Finally, after a successful career as a magazine journalist, book reviewer, nonfiction book writer, he made a move to

fulfilling that dream of becoming a novelist when his first novel, Swann’s Last Song, was published and wound up being nominated for a Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. After losing, he swore he’d keep writing crime novels until he won something.

After four more novels in the Henry Swann series, he wrote two successful stand-alone novels, Devil in the Hole (named one of the best crime novels of 2013 by Suspense magazine) and Second Story Man (nominated for another Shamus and a David Award, both of which, true to form, he lost). He finally broke the losing streak when Second Story Man was named winner of the Beverly Hills Book Award.

He’s also published three novellas, to be found in the collections Triple Shot, Three Strikes and Third Degree. He still teaches writing in New York City, is a Founding Member of New York Writers Workshop, and is on the boards of PrisonWrites and Mystery Writers of America-NY.