Carmen Amato

A 30-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, Carmen Amato is the 2023 winner of the Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical for Murder at the Galliano Club, inspired by her grandfather's experiences as a deputy sheriff during Prohibition. Kirkus Reviews lauded her writing as "Danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away." Beginning with Cliff Diver, her contemporary Detective Emilia Cruz series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's cartels,...See more

A 30-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, Carmen Amato is the 2023 winner of the Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical for Murder at the Galliano Club, inspired by her grandfather's experiences as a deputy sheriff during Prohibition. Kirkus Reviews lauded her writing as "Danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away." Beginning with Cliff Diver, her contemporary Detective Emilia Cruz series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Optioned for television, it's a 2-time winner of the Outstanding Series award from CrimeMasters of America and a 4-time finalist for the Silver Falchion award. Her standalone thrillers include The Hidden Light of Mexico City, which was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award. Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. She has been a judge for the BookLife Prize and Killer Nashville's Claymore Award. Her work has appeared in Huffpost, Criminal Element, Publishers Weekly, and other national publications. Originally from upstate New York, after years of globe-trotting she and her husband enjoy life in Tennessee See less