A former Staff Writer for Reader’s Digest, Robert Bidinotto is an award-winning investigative journalist and magazine editor, and author of two books on the criminal justice system.  He drew upon this background to write his debut novel, “Hunter” (Avenger Books), a vigilante crime thriller.

Last December, “Hunter” was named the #1 “Editors’ Pick” on Kindle. It immediately soared onto the Wall Street Journal’s “Top 10 Fiction Ebook” list,  also reaching #4 overall on the Kindle Bestseller List.

Robert lives with his wife on Maryland’sEastern Shore, where he is writing sequels in the Dylan Hunter thriller series.

Sheela Chari is the author of the middle-grade novel, “Vanished” (Disney Hyperion), a 2012 APALA Children’s Literature Honor Book, and Edgar nominee for Best Juvenile mystery. Sheela has an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University, and lives in New York with her family. “Vanished” is her first novel.

Keith Donohue is a best-selling novelist whose latest book is, “Centuries of June” (Crown).

“Part ghost story, part psychological mystery and part vaudeville show. Think Scheherazade by way of “Tristram Shandy” by way of “The Sixth Sense.”—Washington Post

This is Donohue’s third novel, following-up “The Stolen Child,” a national best-seller and “Angels of Destruction,” which was also well-received.  Donohue has a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in modern Irish literature and wrote the introduction to the Complete Novels of Flann O’Brien.  He lives in Maryland and occasionally writes book reviews for the Washington Post.

Marni Graff is the author of the Nora Tierney mystery series, set in the UK. “The Blue Virgin” is set in Oxford; “The Green Remains” in Cumbria. Graff is also co-author of “Writing in a Changing World,” a primer on writing groups and critique techniques. She writes a weekly mystery review at www.auntiemwrites.wordpress.com. A member of Sisters in Crime, Graff runs the NC Writers Read program in Belhaven. She has also published poetry, and her creative nonfiction has most recently appeared in Southern Women’s Review.

Mark Henshaw is the author of “Red Cell” (Touchstone), his debut thriller that follows two CIA agents as they race to stop a secret Chinese weapon that threatens to provoke a world war.

“Red Cell is as smart as it is exciting, a thriller that makes you think from the edge of your seat. Mark Henshaw’s unique perspective from the inside makes it all feel terrifyingly real.” —Howard Gordon, co-creator of Homeland and author of Hard Target

 

Henshaw is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a decorated CIA analyst with more than eleven years of service. In 2007, he was awarded the Director of National Intelligence Galileo Award for innovation in intelligence analysis. Henshaw lives with his family in Leesburg, Virginia.

Thomas Kaufman is the author of “Steal the Show” (Minotaur Books), his second book about Washington, DC private eye Willis Gidney.  In addition to writing the third book in his series, Kaufman is working as an Emmy Award-winning director/cameraman, shooting TV programs for BBC, Discovery, and NatGeo.  Thomas has also shot on the sets of “The Wire,” “West Wing,” “John Adams,” and “VEEP.”

Alan Orloff makes a third Festival appearance with his latest release, “Deadly Campaign” (Midnight Ink), the second in the Last Laff Mystery series (after “Killer Routine”). His debut mystery, “Diamonds for the Dead,” was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel, and, writing as Zak Allen, he’s published two ebooks, “The Taste” and “First Time Killer.” A former engineer, marketing manager, and newsletter editor, Alan grew up in Montgomery County and is a proud product of the County’s public school system.

Brad Parks is an award-winning mystery author whose upcoming release, “The Girl Next Door: A Mystery” (Minotaur Books), will hit bookshelves in March 2012.  This is a follow-up to his debut mystery, “Faces of the Gone,” which garnered both the Nero and Shamus Awards (the first time both had been awarded to the same book), and last year’s “Eyes of the Innocent.”  Parks is a former journalist with the The Washington Post and the Newark Star Ledger. This will be Parks’ second appearance at the festival, and this year he’s also assisting with our High School Student Short Story contest, providing the opening lines and serving as a judge

Sandra Parshall is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Rachel Goddard mysteries, set in Virginia. Her latest novel is “Under the Dog Star” (Poisoned Pen Press), and her next, ”Bleeding Through,” will be released in September. A former newspaper reporter, she lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, a long-time Washington journalist.

Leonard Rosen is the author of “All Cry Chaos” (Permanent Press), finalist for the 2012 Edgar Award (the top award for mystery writing) for Best First Novel.  Rosen is a best-selling and widely respected non-fiction author among educational publishers (including Pearson, Allyn & Bacon, Little Brown, and Nelson Doubleday). He has written Radio Essays broadcast by NPR’s Morning Edition, Only A Game, and All Things Considered, as well as op-eds published by the Boston Globe. He has taught writing at Harvard University. He lives in Brookline, MA.

Steve Ulfelder is a mystery writer, whose debut novel, “Purgatory Chasm” (Minotaur Books), is a finalist for the 2012 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.  The book also received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and was an RT Book Reviews Top Pick.  His new novel, “The Whole Lie” (Minotaur Books), launches May 8, 2012.

Ulfelder received a BA in Creative Writing from Ohio Wesleyan University before spending 20 years as a business and technology journalist. In 2006, he dumped journalism to write novels and focus on Flatout Motorsports Inc., the company he co-founded. Headquartered in Bellingham, Massachusetts, Flatout builds, rents, sells and services race cars. Steve spends weekends with Team Flatout racing his Honda S2000 in Sports Car Club of America competition.

Thomas Young is the author of the suspense novel “Silent Enemy” (Putnam Adult), which follows the characters of his previous novel, “The Mullah’s Storm.” In addition to being the author of three books, Young is a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  He serves as a Senior Master Sergeant in the Air National Guard and has been a flight engineer in war zones around the world, earning two Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.  He holds a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Alexandria, Va.