Terry Shames

Terry Shames is the award-winning, best-selling author of eleven books in the Samuel Craddock series, set in the fictitious town of Jarrett Creek, Texas. As well as winning the Macavity Award for Best First novel, her first book, A KILLING AT COTTON HILL, was also shortlisted for the Strand Critics Award. Four of her books were shortlisted for a Left Coast Crime Lefty award. THE NECESSARY MURDER OF NONIE BLAKE won the RT Reviews Critics Award for Best Contemporary Mystery of 2016.

The eleventh in the series, THE TROUBLING DEATH OF MADDY BENSON was an Amazon Editor's Pick. In April 2024, she debuted the Jessie Madison thriller series, with PERILOUS WATERS. Her standalone domestic suspense novel, OUT OF CONTROL will be published in December 2024.

Terry lives in Southern California with her husband, her dog Monty and her cat Max. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers and the Texas Institute of Letters.