Joan Lowery Nixon is one of the most prolific young adult authors in America.

Her spine-tingling mystery, suspense, and supernatural novels have thrilled teenaged readers for several decades. Her page-turning plots and intriguing, appealing characters have won her a loyal fan base. With more than one hundred books to her credit, Nixon is truly the grand dame of children's mystery literature.

Although Nixon always knew she wanted to be a writer, her Hollywood, California, childhood hinted of her future success at creating fictional child and teenage sleuths, devious criminals, and cold-blooded murderers. She was born on February 3, 1927, in Los Angeles, to accountant Joseph Michael Lowery and kindergarten teacher Margaret (Meyer) Lowery. Nixon's parents and grandparents encouraged her interest in books, especially mysteries and art, reading to her and supplying clay, puppets, and paint for the playroom she shared with her two sisters. Her mother...