Chicago native Catherine O'Connell is the author of five novels: First Tracks, The Last Night Out, Well Read and Dead, Well Bred and Dead, and Skins.

A graduate of the University of Colorado School of Journalism, she has worked in a number of roles in various fields, including hotel maid, bar manager, floor runner at the Chicago Board of Trade, sommelier, and sales executive in the fine wine business. Her varied experiences give her insight into many walks of life that she incorporates into her writing.

A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, she sits on the board of the Aspen Words, the literary branch of the Aspen Institute. She has also served as a moderator of the Great Books and Sharing Shakespeare programs at the Aspen Institute.

Catherine has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, the Cox network, and numerous radio shows, including WGN Radio's Sunday Papers with Rick Kogan.

A consummate reader, wine expert, skier, back-country hiker, and biker, she divides her time between Aspen, Chicago, and Paris.