P. J. Parrish is a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

used by

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

-born sisters Kelly Nichols (née Montee) and Kristy Montee in writing their critically acclaimed and commercially successful Louis Kincaid series of mystery thriller novels,page 203-205, ''Great Women Mystery Writers'', 2nd Ed. by Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay, 2007, publ. Greenwood Press, which have won an

International Thriller Writers Award The International Thriller Writers Awards are awarded by International Thriller Writers at the annual Thrillerfest conferences for outstanding work in the field since 2006. Award winners References {{Reflist External linksInternational Thrill ...

, a Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, an Anthony Award, and a finalist for the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America.

Biographies

Kelly Nichols attended

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designa ...

then moved to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

before spending 15 years in the gaming industry in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

then as HR manager in a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

casino. She had struggled with a mystery novel manuscript before collaborating with her sister. Kristy Montee earned a degree in education from

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

but then worked as a reporter in Michigan and then in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

where she worked on the ''

Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Broward County, an ...

'' rising to assistant managing editor. She left to concentrate on fiction writing and produced four romantic novels but became bored with this genre and so joined forces with her sister in mystery writing. Montee lives in Fort Lauderdale and Nichols resides in

Elk Rapids, Michigan Elk Rapids is a Village (United States), village in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is the largest incorporated community in Antrim County, Michigan, Antrim County, with a population of 1,529 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

Writing

Their first series features biracial Michigan-based police detective Louis Kincaid and is set in the 1980s. In the first novel he returns to his hometown in Mississippi for a temporary reassignment due to his mother's terminal illness. On investigating a lynching he faces racism within the force. Subsequent novels are set both back in Michigan and then in Florida where he becomes a private investigator. Female detective Joe Frye makes an appearance in ''A Killing Rain'' and has since played a larger role in the series, according to the authors website "She stayed in the book to help him solve the crime. And then, well, she and Louis kind of fell hard for each other. And we fell for her. Our plan is to alternate the characters or have them appear in books together"

Bibliography

Louis Kincaid series

* ''Dark of the Moon'' (1999) * ''Dead of Winter'' (2001) -

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

finalist for Best Paperback Original * ''Paint It Black'' (2002) * ''Thicker Than Water'' (2003) * ''Island of Bones'' (2004) * ''A Killing Rain'' (2005) * ''Unquiet Grave'' (2006) -

for Best Paperback Original * '' A Thousand Bones'' (2007) * ''South of Hell'' (2008) * ''The Little Death'' (2009) * ''Claw Back'' (2012, novella) * ''Heart of Ice'' (2013) * ''The Damage Done'' (2018)

Other novels

* ''The Killing Song'' (2011) * ''She's Not There'' (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, P. J. Pseudonymous women writers Collective pseudonyms Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American mystery writers Northern Michigan University alumni Eastern Michigan University alumni Writers from Detroit Writers from Fort Lauderdale, Florida People from Roscommon County, Michigan Sister duos American women mystery writers American women novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers People from Elk Rapids, Michigan Novelists from Florida Novelists from Michigan Year of birth missing (living people) Anthony Award winners 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers