Patricia Smiley earned a BA in Sociology from the University of Washington in Seattle. She also holds an MBA with honors from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Her debut novel FALSE PROFITS about Los Angeles management consultant Tucker Sinclair received a starred review from Booklist and was a Book Sense recommendation. Her follow-up novel COVER YOUR ASSETS was a RomanticTimes Top Pick. Both novels were Los Angeles Times Bestsellers. SHORT CHANGE is the third in the series. Her short fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and "Two of the Deadliest," an anthology edited by Elizabeth George.

Patty is Vice President of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and a member of Sisters in Crime. She is also a Specialist Reserve Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. She lives in Los Angeles where she is writing the next book in the Tucker Sinclair series.