Shelly Dickson Carr

I grew up surrounded by books and fell in love with mysteries when I was ten years old. That's when I read "He Wouldn't Kill Patience," a classic British mystery penned by my grandfather, John Dickson Carr. He wrote many books. This is my first and I like to think he'd be pleased. My grandfather was a wonderful man. He died when I was eighteen.

The idea for RIPPED came while on a scouting trip. As a board member for the Huntington Theater in Boston, I travel frequently to London with theater members in search of interesting new plays. On one of those trips, I began researching the mystery surrounding Jack the Ripper. The result of all my research plus a good dose of imagination, is this book.

My fascination with the nineteenth century started in grade school. I grew up in a rambling Victorian house in Mamaroneck, New York. My mother was British and she was a writer and bibliophile. She filled every room in our house with floor-to-ceiling book shelves. Leather-bound classics were everywhere. My friends called it the library house. In third grade I read all the Just So Stories by Kipling --because I could reach them on the lower shelves.

I've loved all things British for as long as I can remember. My husband and I helped start The Masterpiece Trust so "Downton Abbey" could be aired on PBS. Now anglophiles across the country can enjoy it. Who doesn't love "Downton Abbey?"

I have three terrific daughters, all of whom helped shape this book. And my husband lived through the whole birthing process of RIPPED as well. We live on Beacon Hill in Boston. Our neighborhood has gas street lamps, and old brass door knockers are still used at most houses-- a little hint of Victorian London that I so love.

I'm always reading something, and I can't seem to stop writing either. But when I'm not reading or writing or working on Huntington Theatre or other community arts projects, I like to ski and travel with my husband. And I visit my horse Tucker whenever I can.