Earl Emerson (born 1948 in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, United States) is an American mystery novelist and author. Emerson is the author of two series of mystery novels, the Mac Fontana series and the Thomas Black detective series, as well as several thrillers. He received the "Best Private Eye Novel"

Shamus Award The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) for the best detective fiction ( P. I. = Private investigator) genre novels and short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one si ...

from the Private Eye Writers of America in 1986 for ''Poverty Bay'' and an

Edgar award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

nomination for his work. Emerson also works as a lieutenant with the

Seattle Fire Department The Seattle Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. The department is responsible for an area of , including of waterfront, with a population of 713,700. There is ...

. Emerson now lives in

North Bend, Washington North Bend is a city in King County, Washington, United States, on the outskirts of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 5,731 at the 2010 census and an estimated 7,136 in 2018. Since the closure of Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie sawm ...

Bibliography

Thomas Black series

*''The Rainy City'' (1985) *''Poverty Bay'' (1985) *''Nervous Laughter'' (1985) *''Fat Tuesday'' (1987) *''Deviant Behavior'' (1988) *''Yellow Dog Party'' (1991) *''The Portland Laugher'' (1994) *''The Vanishing Smile'' (1995) *''The Million-Dollar Tattoo'' (1996) *''Deception Pass'' (1997) *''Catfish Cafe'' (1999) *''Cape Disappointment'' (2009) *''Monica's Sister'' (2013) *''Two Miles of Darkness'' (2015) *''Jackson Street'' (2018)

Mac Fontana series

*''Black Hearts and Slow Dancing'' (1988) *''Help Wanted: Orphans Preferred'' (1990) *''Morons and Madmen'' (1993) *''Going Crazy in Public'' (1996) *''The Dead Horse Paint Company'' (1997)

Other books

*''Vertical Burn'' (2002) *''Into the Inferno'' (2003) *''Pyro'' (2004) *''The Smoke Room'' (2005) *''Firetrap'' (2006) *''Primal Threat'' (2008)

Awards

Wins

* 1986

Shamus award The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) for the best detective fiction ( P. I. = Private investigator) genre novels and short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one si ...

winner, best private eye paperback original, ''Poverty Bay''

Nominations

* 1986 Anthony award, best paperback original novel, ''Poverty Bay'' * 1986

, best paperback original novel, ''Poverty Bay'' * 1986 Shamus award, best private eye paperback original, ''The Rainy City'' * 1987 Shamus award, best private eye paperback original, ''Nervous Laughter'' * 1989 Shamus award, best private eye novel, ''Deviant Behavior'' * 1994 Anthony award, best novel, ''Morons and Madmen'' *

1996 Anthony award Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the con ...

, best cover art, ''The Vanishing Smile'' * 1996 Shamus award, best private eye novel, ''The Vanishing Smile'' * 1998 Anthony award, best novel, ''Deception Pass'' * 1998 Shamus award, best private eye novel, ''Deception Pass''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Earl American crime fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 1948 births Living people Writers from Tacoma, Washington Shamus Award winners American mystery novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Washington (state) People from North Bend, Washington American firefighters