A native of Kentucky, James W. Hall has made Florida his home, as well as the setting for his popular suspense thrillers. He obtained his B.A. in Literature from Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College) in 1969, an M.A. in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University in 1970, and a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Utah in 1973.

For the last 29 years, he has taught literature and creative writing at Florida International University, where his students have included Dennis Lehane, Barbara Parker, and Vicki Hendricks. After publishing four books of poetry-three with the Carnegie-Mellon University Press-and several works of short fiction in such magazines as the Georgia Review and Kenyon Review, Hall began writing crime novels in 1986 with Under Cover of Daylight.

He lives on the edge of Blackwater Sound in Key Largo, Florida, with his wife, Evelyn, and his dogs, Travis and Sofie.