William P. Wood

William P. Wood is the author of nine novels and one nonfiction book. As a Deputy District Attorney in California, he handled thousands of criminal cases ranging from disturbing the peace to murder. He brought over fifty cases to jury trials, many with multiple defendants. Wood was a leader in a major case—California Democratic Party vs. Jones—argued before the United States Supreme Court in 2000, and served as chief counsel to the Secretary of State of California, the Commissioner of the California Department of Corporations, and the Undersecretary of the Office of Secretary of State. Wood's nonfiction book, The Bone Garden (Simon & Schuster, 1994), is the definitive account of serial killer Dorothea Puente, who was the subject of a nationwide hunt after nine bodies were dug up from her Sacramento, California yard. Wood earlier sent Puente to prison for drugging and robbing the elderly. On her release from prison, she began killing her victims. The Bone Garden has been referenced in multiple books and featured on TV on "The Geraldo Rivera Show" and on Discovery Channel. Many of Wood's books have been translated into multiple languages and optioned for motion pictures, two of which were produced. The first, Rampage, was directed by Academy Award-winner William Friedkin ("The French Connection" and "The Exorcist"). The second, Court of Honor, was adapted into the TNT movie "Broken Trust" by Jane Fonda Films, starring Tom Selleck, with a screenplay by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. Wood also served as co-writer for several episodes of the CBS-TV series "Kaz" starring Ron Liebman. Wood graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont and the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in California. He currently lives in Sacramento, California, where he is working on his next novel. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.