“Walter Mosley was not the first black crime writer, nor was he the first to fuse genre conventions with larger social concerns. But when 'Devil in a Blue Dress' introduced the Los Angeles-based private detective Easy Rawlins nearly 20 years ago, it was clear the author set out to stretch the boundaries of the mystery and thriller framework.”

Canadian journalist, editor, and crime fiction authority

Sarah Weinman is a Canadian journalist, editor, and crime fiction authority. She is known for her work on crime writing and for her book The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World. The book examines the kidnapping and captivity of 11-year-old Florence Sally Horner by a serial child molester, a case widely believed to have influenced Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. It drew attention in reviews from NPR, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe.