Join BookBrowse today and get access to free books, our twice monthly digital magazine, and more.

P.J. Parrish biography

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

P.J. Parrish

P.J. Parrish

P.J. Parrish Biography

P.J. Parrish is the New York Times bestselling author of ten Louis Kincaid and Joe Frye thrillers. The author is actually two sisters, Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. The series has garnered 11 major crime-fiction awards, and an Edgar® nomination. Parrish has won two Shamus awards, one Anthony and one International Thriller competition. Her books have been published throughout Europe and Asia.

Parrish's short stories have also appeared in many anthologies, including two published by Mystery Writers of America. Their stories have also appeared in Detroit Noir and Ellery Queen Magazine. Most recently, they contributed an essay to a special edition of Edgar Allan Poe's works edited by Michael Connelly. They are now at work on their first stand-alone thriller, set in Miami and Paris.

From the author's website

P.J. Parrish's website

This bio was last updated on 02/07/2016. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Interview

PJ Parrish discloses the secret behind the pseudonym and a tidbit about the third Louis book.

Why the pseudonym? Reading "About the Author" -- which so artfully avoided any gender references -- had me thinking "P.J." is a female who feels (or for whom research proved) that male authors sell better. -- Peg Snyder.
I am, indeed, a woman. Or to be more precise, two women (we are sisters who collaborate) and it was pretty much an editorial decision: not enough room on a cover for two names and a title. So we decided to use a nom de plume. As for it being "neuter," that, too, was calculated. Male authors do not sell "better" but unfortunately, there is lingering bias among some, shall we say, less enlightened readers. Indeed, I have had people at signings tell me "I don't read women." It's extremely difficult to break into the competitive mystery genre and our editors also felt that given the gritty, realistic tone of our stories, our books might find a broader audience if readers did not have any preconceived notions of "male" versus "female" books. As an avid mystery reader, you undoubtedly know there are countless wonderful women crime novelists, most of whom have equal male-female audiences. (My own current fave is Minette Walters). Quite a ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Books by this Author

Books by P.J. Parrish at BookBrowse
An Unquiet Grave jacket Dead of Winter jacket
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for P.J. Parrish but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Russell Andrews

    Russell Andrews

    Russell Andrews is a pseudonym for Peter Gethers. Under the Andrews name, he has written five bestselling thrillers, Gideon, Icarus, Aphrodite, Midas and Hades.

    In real life, he is a screenwriter, novelist, publisher, and ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Dead of Winter

    Try:
    Aphrodite
    by Russell Andrews

  • Steve Hamilton

    Steve Hamilton

    Steve Hamilton is the New York Times–bestselling author of twelve novels, most recently The Second Life of Nick Mason and Die a Stranger.  His debut, A Cold Day in Paradise,won both an ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Dead of Winter

    Try:
    Blood Is The Sky
    by Steve Hamilton

We recommend 5 similar authors

View all 5 Read-Alikes

Non-members can see 2 results. Become a member
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Support BookBrowse

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more


Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Change
    Change
    by Edouard Louis
    Édouard Louis's 2014 debut novel, The End of Eddy—an instant literary success, published ...
  • Book Jacket: Big Time
    Big Time
    by Ben H. Winters
    Big Time, the latest offering from prolific novelist and screenwriter Ben H. Winters, is as ...
  • Book Jacket: Becoming Madam Secretary
    Becoming Madam Secretary
    by Stephanie Dray
    Our First Impressions reviewers enjoyed reading about Frances Perkins, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's ...
  • Book Jacket: The Last Bloodcarver
    The Last Bloodcarver
    by Vanessa Le
    The city-state of Theumas is a gleaming metropolis of advanced technology and innovation where the ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Half a Cup of Sand and Sky
by Nadine Bjursten
A poignant portrayal of a woman's quest for love and belonging amid political turmoil.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The House on Biscayne Bay
    by Chanel Cleeton

    As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.

  • Book Jacket

    The Flower Sisters
    by Michelle Collins Anderson

    From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.

Win This Book
Win The Funeral Cryer

The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

M as A H

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.