While many of her author brethren grew up with The Secret of the Old Clock, Kathleen cut her reading and writerly teeth on Carrie. She embraced her weird-kid status and love for writing and began to write for her supper, first penning for magazines and newspapers, then becoming a copywriter for ad agencies in Oregon and North Carolina.
During a midlife-ish crisis, she decided to try her hand at novel-writing. The fruit of that veeeeeeeeery long labor was Protocol, which was nominated for a Left Coast Crime Lefty and Malice Domestic Agatha for best first novel. Her debut was followed by the next two books in the Maggie O’Malley mystery series: fan favorite 39 Winks, and soon-to-be-published As Directed.
When Kathleen’s not writing, she’s writing. Seriously. But when she’s not doing either of those things, she can be found hanging with her (usually) adorable children and loving husband, camping, snowmobiling, running, Jazzercising, quoting Monty Python, and consuming more than her share of black licorice and red wine. She lives in Central Oregon, a.k.a. Paradise.
The Maggie O’Malley Mysteries
Protocol (Book 1)
Henery Press
Freshly minted college graduate Maggie O’Malley embarks on a career fueled by professional ambition and a desire to escape the past. As a pharmaceutical researcher, she’s determined to save lives from the shelter of her lab. But on her very first day she’s pulled into a world of uncertainty. Reminders appear on her phone for meetings she’s never scheduled with people she’s never met. People who end up dead.
With help from her best friend, Maggie discovers the victims on her phone are connected to each other and her new employer. She soon unearths a treacherous plot that threatens her mission—and her life. Maggie must unlock deadly secrets to stop horrific abuses of power before death comes calling for her.
- Agatha Award nominee, Best First Novel
- Lefty Award nominee, Best Debut Mystery
“If you like a book with smarts, a heart, and flesh-and-blood characters, don’t miss PROTOCOL. This one is a winner!” – Maggie Barbieri, author of the Murder 101 Series
39 Winks (Book 2)
Henery Press
Former pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley is losing sleep. Constantine’s aunt is a multitasking sleepwalker who, in addition to wandering her stately home, prepares meals, folds laundry and, one winter night, stumbles across her husband with his throat slit.
It’s a rude and gruesome awakening that’s upsetting to Aunt Polly. And interesting to the police.
Maggie and Constantine work to uncover who killed the cosmetic surgery mogul and why. As they dig into the lives of those who knew him best, they discover that the truth is only skin deep and doctoring perception is a treatment with deadly side effects.
A gripping page-turner with more twists than a surgeon’s suture, 39 Winks is a tale of lies, betrayals and greed that will keep you up at night. And looking over your shoulder.
“39 WINKS is a clever and twisty thriller that will grab you from the first sentence and keep you guessing until the very end.” – Kathleen Barber, author of Are You Sleeping
As Directed (Book 3)
Henery Press
In the shadow of a past fraught with danger and tainted by loss, former pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley is rebuilding her life, trading test tubes for pill bottles as she embarks on a new career at the corner drugstore. But as she spreads her wings, things begin to go terribly wrong. A customer falls ill in the store. Followed by another. And then more. The specter of poisoning arises, conjuring old grudges, past sins, buried secrets and new suspicions from which no one is immune. As Maggie and her best friend Constantine begin to investigate, they discover that some of the deadliest doses come from the most unexpected places.
“A chilling game of cat and mouse that moves with lightning speed and stunning twists. Lies, secrets and evil spin a deadly web in this gripping tale of malice and deceit.” – Liv Constantine, Bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish
“Maggie O’Malley will not be cowered, stopped, or out-smarted.” – Patricia Gussin, New York Times bestselling author of Come Home
“Powerful, tense, and satisfying.” – Wendy Tyson, author of Bitter Harvest
“Smart, fast-paced and surprising.” – Hank Phillippi Ryan, Mary Higgins Clark Award-Winner, author of Say No More
“I can’t wait to see what Valenti cooks up for us next!” – Annette Dashofy, USA Today bestselling author of the Zoe Chambers Mysteries
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