LAWRENCE DE MARIA

According to the bio on Amazon: "Born in New York City, Lawrence De Maria graduated from Villanova University and then served as a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marines. After leaving the Corps, he became a journalist. He won an Associated Press award for spot-news crime reporting at the Staten Island Advance and later, when at The New York Times, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his financial articles. After the Times, he joined Forbes Magazine. De Maria had met or covered some of the nation's most-notorious criminals in government, the Mob and Wall Street. He was widely credited and quoted by the international media for exposing a multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. His fiction writing, starting with Amazon best-seller SOUND OF BLOOD, is grounded in real-life experience. De Maria is strongly influenced by Colin Dexter, Ian Fleming, Robert B. Parker, Ed McBain, Michael Connelly and John D. MacDonald. He has created three unique series of thrillers and mysteries, which critics have praised for their grit, humor and plotting. He has also written a standalone novel, ALAS, PARIS. His books often have an international flavor, and occasionally delve into high technology and science. Recurring characters, complex villains and strong love stories are also hallmarks of De Maria's work."