Zofia Smith was looking forward to a few things in May of 2005. Her birthday, fewer tourists as New Orleans hit the heat of the summer, books coming out from her favorite authors. She didn't expect a panicked phone call from her best employee saying he had found a body when he was supposed to be delivering a rare first edition.

While James swore up and down he'd never been to society matron Genevieve Monret's home in the Garden District, the police had enough circumstantial evidence to name him the prime suspect. Zo was repeatedly told to leave the investigation to the professionals, but how do you stop that when you're the one getting the results?

Kate Kulig was born in Saugus, Massachusetts and denies all responsibility for the hospital burning down at a later date. After growing up in both Wilmington and Andover, MA, she graduated from Hofstra University with a BA in Communications with a minor in English.

Five states (one of them twice), several moves and more than a few careers later, including time spent as a disc jockey, stage manger, delivery driver, bookseller and a memorable temp job counting arrows, she found herself happily in New York City.

When not working at her day job as a project manager, reading, or writing, she can be found prowling Manhattan's ramen shops, traveling to New Orleans, bicycling in Central Park, dabbling in photography, experimenting in the kitchen, playing an assortment of role-playing games, and watching way too many crime shows.