Cynthia E. Hurst is the author of  two mystery series set in contemporary Seattle, the R&P Labs Mysteries and the Zukie Merlino Mysteries, and the Silver and Simm and Milestone Agency Mysteries, which take place in Victorian Oxfordshire. Like her characters in the first two series, she grew up in Seattle, then graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism and worked for several newspapers and magazines before turning to fiction. The R&P books were inspired by the time Cynthia spent at the small independent research lab where her parents both worked, and many of the R&P staff's projects are ones actually undertaken by the lab. The characters in the Zukie Merlino books are based on her Italian relatives, and the two Victorian series are set in Oxfordshire, her home since 1984. Her Time Traveller Trilogy, which wanders through various bits of English history, stemmed from an unfortunate incident.

"Northwest noir with a twist of wit and an intriguing cast of characters."

-- Mary Daheim, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the B&B and Alpine/Emma Lord mystery series