The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 9

JESS ARMSTRONG’s debut novel, The Curse of Penryth Hall, won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition. She has a masters degree in American History but prefers writing about imaginary people to the real thing. Jess lives in New Orleans with her historian husband, two sons, yellow cat, speckled dog, and the world’s most pampered school-fair goldfish. And when she’s not working on her next project, she’s probably thinking about cheese, baking, tweeting or some combination of the above. You can find her on Twitter or see what’s new on her website.

AMY CHUA is the John M. Duff, Jr. Professor of Law at Yale Law School. She is an internationally bestselling author of several non-fiction titles, including her 2011 memoir Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which was a runaway international bestseller that has been translated into over 30 languages. Chua graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and cum laude from Harvard Law School. After practicing on Wall Street for a few years, she joined the Yale Law School faculty in 2001. The Golden Gate is her fiction debut.

CELESTE CONNALLY is an Agatha Award nominee, and a former freelance writer and editor. A lifelong devotee of historical novels and adaptations fueled by her passion for history—plus weekly doses of PBS Masterpiece—Celeste loves reading and writing about women from the past who didn’t always do as they were told.

RAGNAR JÓNASSON is an international number one bestselling author who has sold over three million books in thirty-six countries worldwide. His books include the Dark Iceland series and the Hulda series. Jónasson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he also works as an investment banker and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University. He has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, and, since the age of seventeen, has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie's novels. Jónasson is the co-founder of the Reykjavik international crime writing festival Iceland Noir. His critically acclaimed international bestseller The Darkness is soon to be a major TV series, and Outside is soon to be a feature film. Jónasson lives in Reykjavik with his wife and two daughters.

KATRÍN JAKOBSDÓTTIR is the Prime Minister of Iceland. Reykjavik is her first novel. Jakobsdóttir holds a Masters' Degree in Icelandic literature, and has been a member of parliament since 2007. Previously she held the position of Minister of Education. Jakobsdóttir wrote her masters' thesis on Icelandic crime fiction author Arnaldur Indridason.

JULIA KELLY is the international bestselling author of historical women's fiction books about the extraordinary stories of the past. Her books have been translated into 13 languages. She has also written historical romance. In addition to writing, she’s been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London.

STEVE URSZENYI served for many years as a paramedic in Toronto and a tactical medic with the Ontario Provincial Police. As part of an elite tactical team, he was involved in countless SWAT operations and is an expert in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) incident response. Steve is also the former commander of the Province of Ontario’s disaster medical response team. He is the recipient of the Governor General of Canada EMS Exemplary Service Medal and Bar in recognition of his distinguished career accomplishments. When not writing, Steve loves touring on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his wife, Lynne. He enjoys hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, and photography. Steve and Lynne have two grown children.