C.M. Palov is a Washington DC native who decided to put a love of action-adventure flicks, a degree in Art History, and an obsession with biblical conspiracy theory to good use. The result is her debut novel ARK OF FIRE, an esoteric thriller in which a museum photographer witnesses a brutal murder and the theft of an ancient Hebrew artifact. On the run, the cops in on the murder, she joins forces with a former MI5 intelligence officer. Together they must solve a series of puzzles embedded in verse, stained glass, and cyber space as they attempt to stop a sinister army of mercenaries from obtaining the ultimate weapon of mass destruction -- the Ark of the Covenant. ARK OF FIRE will be released in the UK (Penguin) in July 2009 and in the US (Berkley) in December 2009. The sequel THE HERETIC'S TALE is due out in 2010. FYI -- C.M. Palov is the pen name for Chloe Palov who decided to go the initials route at the suggestion of her UK publisher, the ruling consensus being that overly feminine first names and high-octane action scenes do not mix.