Susan Kandel is a Southern California native. Trained as an art historian, she was an art critic at the Los Angeles Times for much of the '90s. She also taught at NYU and UCLA, and served as the editor of the international journal artext. One morning she woke up and decided to become a mystery writer. I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason was her first novel, followed by Not a irl Detective, Shamus in the Green Room, Christietown, and the most recent of the bestselling Cece Caruso mysteries, Dial H for Hitchcock. How many of Cece's quirks are based on Susan's own is a question that remains up for grabs. But Susan (not Cece) will admit that she would never, no matter what, give up her two, early '80s Yves Saint Laurent worsted wool jumpsuits. Susan lives in West Hollywood with her husband, two daughters, and faithful Lab named Scout.