biography

Kris Neri was the first and only small press author to have ever been honored with Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Award nominations, the triple-crown of mystery fiction awards, for her first novel, Revenge of the Gypsy Queen. This debut Tracy Eaton mystery also won outstanding reader support and great critical acclaim. "A real treat," is how Library Journal describes it. "The ending is ingenious and unpredictable…needs to be read in one sitting. Don't miss it," quotes The Charlotte Austin Review. And author Carolyn Hart calls Revenge of the Gypsy Queen "a hilarious debut, " and describes it as: "an intricately plotted, surprise-in-your-face, don't-put-it-down mystery."

Kris followed up the success of Revenge of the Gypsy Queen with the equally well-received, Dem Bones' Revenge, the second book in this laugh-out-loud mystery series. Romantic Times describes Dem Bones' Revenge as: "…a witty, madcap screwball comedy of a mystery, told with warmth and charm." And Mystery News writes: "Kris Neri and Tracy Eaton will be favorites in the mystery field for quite a long time." Bestselling author Laura Lippman sums it up with: "Kris Neri has written another winner."

The two novels of the Tracy Eaton Mystery Series, Revenge of the Gypsy Queen and Dem Bones' Revenge, won the Samantha Award for 2001 for the Best Mystery Series from Hutton Book Reviews. Worldwide Mystery released paperback editions of both books.

Acclaim is nothing new to Kris. She has published more than fifty short stories in such publications as Blue Murder Magazine, Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine, Woman's World, Mystery Time, Futures and many others, as well as some well-received anthologies in the U.S. and overseas. Two of her short stories, "L.A. Justice," the story in which the characters of her Tracy Eaton mysteries debuted, which appeared in the Murder by Thirteen anthology, and her story, "Capital Justice," which appeared in the premier issue of Blue Murder Magazine, won the Derringer Award for Best Short Story. Another two of her stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

One of her short stories, "Sentence Imposed (A Deadly Dozen/UglyTown Mysteries)," introduced Zoey Morgan, a hard-driving professional triathlete with a soft spot for kids and a troubled past. Zoey will made her full-length debut in Never Say Die, which Hilliard & Harris published in late 2005. William Kent Krueger, Anthony Award-winning author of Mercy Falls, says of Never Say Die: "Never Say Die delivers everything a discerning fan of the genre could desire….Kris Neri has penned a winner." And Barbara Seranella, creator of the Munch Mancini mysteries calls it, "…a real page-turner, easily Kris Neri's best book to date."

A favorite with mystery convention and conference audiences, Kris has appeared on Larry Mantle's "Airtalk" on NPR, and is currently a featured author on Bookcrazy Radio, an internet radio station devoted to a love of books. She tours the country with authors Jeffrey Marks and Julie Wray Herman, as The RedHeaded League, and she is a member of the Femmes Fatales, a well-established collection of female mystery authors who are the subject of theme-related newsletters sent semi-annually to thousands of mystery fans.

Kris is a member of Sisters in Crime, and is a past president of the Los Angeles chapter, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. She is also a member of the American Crime Writes League. She teaches crime writing online for the prestigious Writers' Program of the UCLA Extension School in Los Angeles.

With her husband, Joe, Kris is co-owner of The Well Red Coyote - Books on the Rocks in Sedona, Arizona.

Click on this link to read some interviews with Kris. If you'd like to learn more about the Femmes Fatales, click on that link. For more about her awards and reviews of her books, click on those links. The personal gallery contains pictures of Kris, her family and friends. The signing photos are shots taken at appearances.