Dean James is Manager of Murder by the Book in Houston, one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery bookstores. He has co-authored a number of works of mystery non-fiction and has won the Agatha and Macavity Awards and been twice nominated for the Edgar Award. To date he has published eight novels, with four more under contract. Though born and reared in Mississippi, he has lived in Texas for over half his life. He holds a Ph. D. in medieval history from Rice University.