Kirk Russell

Kirk Russell, author of Shell Games, introduces his John Marquez series, which focuses on a Department of Fish & Game Special Operations Unit that investigates ecological crimes. The third book in the series, Deadgame, was named one of the top ten crime novels of 2005 by the American Library Association. Booklist calls John Marquez "far and away the most inventive new detective hero." Russell graduated with a degree in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley in 1978, thinking maybe he'd go to law school. Instead, he started writing -- stabs at a novel, articles on hang-gliding -- and doing construction. Eventually, he had a construction company with two partners and 150 employees."Learning carpentry, that was great. It changes you to work with your hands for years," says Russell. "But contracting, that's a tough game." He has continued to work on building select projects, since he started writing in earnest six years ago. He has two daughters in college, is married and lives in the Bay Area.