Photo by Charles Lucke

About the Author

Ann Parker earned degrees in Physics and English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, before taking up a career as a science writer. These days, she slings science and technical verbiage for a living during the day and writes fiction at night.

Ann's ancestors include a great-grandfather who was a blacksmith in Leadville, a grandmother who worked at the bindery of Leadville's Herald Democrat newspaper, a grandfather who was a Colorado School of Mines professor, and another grandfather who worked as a gandy dancer on the Colorado railroads. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Historical Novel Society, Women Writing the West, and Western Writers of America. Ann and her family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, whence they have weathered numerous boom-and-bust cycles.

Her Silver Rush historical mystery series, published by Poisoned Pen Press, is set in the silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado, in the early 1880s. The series was picked as a "Booksellers Favorite" by the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association. The series includes the following books (from first to most recent):

SILVER LIES won the Willa Award for Historical Fiction and the Colorado Gold Award and was chosen a best mystery of the year by Publishers Weekly and The Chicago Tribune. From The Chicago Tribune: "combines a kind of gritty grandeur with a knowing wisdom about the way the present shapes our perceptions of the past." (Read the opening pages here.)

IRON TIES was described by Midwest Book Review as  “a terrific Reconstruction Era mystery that provides the audience with a deep look at the period when official hostilities were over, but passions still flared into violence." Iron Ties won the Colorado Book Award and received honorable mention for the Arizona Book Award in Mystery/Suspense. (Read the opening pages here.)

LEADEN SKIES, according to ooklist: "Parker has created a lively historical tale with a strong female protagonist. The intricate plot, lively characters, and vividly realized historical landscape will appeal to those interested in the Old West as well as to historical-mystery fans." Leaden Skies was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award, Genre Category. (Read the opening pages here.)

MERCURY’S RISE, from Library Journal: “A dazzling amount of historical detail is woven in yet never overpowers this story of deceit and greed. Laden with intrigue, this will also appeal to readers of historical Westerns. Parker’s depth of knowledge coupled with an all-too-human cast leaves us eager to see what Inez will do next. Encore!” (Read the opening pages here.)

For more information about the Silver Rush series, visit the Books Page or Poisoned Pen Press.

For downloadable biographies of Ann (some short, some long) and photos, go to the Press Page.

Ann can be contacted through e-mail at annparker@annparker.net

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