Denise Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Scumble River Mysteries, including Murder of a Cranky Catnapper and Murder of an Open Book, and the Devereaux's Dime Store Mysteries, including Between a Book and a Hard Place and Dying for a Cupcake. She worked as a school psychologist for twenty-two years before quitting to write full-time. She lives in Illinois with her husband, classical music composer David Stybr, and their cool black cat, Boomerang.