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Michael A. Black graduated from Columbia
College, Chicago
in 2000 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Fiction Writing. He previously earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Northern Illinois
University. Despite his literary leanings, he has often said that police
work has been his life. A former Army Military Policeman, he entered civilian law enforcement after his discharge, and for the past twenty-seven years has been a police officer in the south suburbs of Chicago.
The author of over forty articles on subjects ranging from police work to popular
fiction, he has also had over thirty short stories published in various anthologies and magazines, including Ellery Queen
and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. His first novel, A Killing Frost, featuring private investigator Ron Shade, was published by Five Star in September 2002, with endorsements from such respected
authors as Sara Paretsky and Andrew Vachss. The novel received universally excellent reviews, and was subsequently released
in trade paperback.
Windy City Knights, the second novel in the Ron Shade series, came out in March of 2004. His third novel, The Heist, a stand-alone thriller set in Chicago, is Black's third
novel. He has also written two nonfiction books, The M1A1 Abrams Tank and Volunteering to Help Kids, which were published by Rosen Press.
He has worked in various capacities in police work including patrol supervisor,
tactical squad, investigations, raid team member, and SWAT team leader. Michael Black is currently a sergeant on the Matteson, Illinois Police Department. His hobbies include weightlifting, running, and the martial arts. He holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. It is rumored he
has five cats.
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