Katy Munger (born December 29, 1957), who has also written under the names Gallagher Gray and Chaz McGee, is an American mystery author known for writing the Casey Jones, Hubbert & Lil, and Dead Detective series. She is a former reviewer for The Washington Post.

Katy Munger
Born (1957-12-29) December 29, 1957 (age 66)
Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii
OccupationCrime fiction and mystery author
Period1991–present
Notable worksCasey Jones, Hubbert & Lil, Dead Detective
Notable awardsEllen Nehr Award
Website
katymunger.com

Biography

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Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she soon moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, growing up with her five brothers and sisters. She describes herself as a "southern belle" and says that Casey Jones was influenced by her own character.[1]

Munger began her writing career by publishing under the pseudonym Gallagher Gray. She wrote four books in the Hubbert & Lil series using this pseudonym in the 1990s,[2][3][4] and later released a fifth book in the series under her own name. Hubbert & Lil follows Auntie Lil, an eccentric 84-year-old retiree who embarks on a new career as an amateur crime sleuth, aided by her buttoned-down 55-year-old nephew, T.S. Hubbert. Munger describes this series as "cozier" and "gentler" than her other novels. The most recent installment in the series, Hubbert & Lil: Too Old To Die, was published in 2023.[5]

Munger also debuted her Casey Jones series in the late '90s. The series revolves around its titular character, Casey Jones, a no-nonsense Southern detective with a propensity for wisecracking and getting in over her head. Casey is aided in her investigations by a colorful cast of characters, including her doughnut-obsessed business partner Bobby D. The series' most recent entry, Casey Jones: Fire and Rain, was published in 2019.[6]

Munger released her third project in 2009, the four-book Dead Detective series, which follows Kevin Fahey, a former alcoholic and incompetent detective who is "trapped in a lonely plane between the living and the dead." Throughout the series, Fahey attempts to confront the mistakes he made in life in order to move on to a better place. In 2012, Munger released the fourth and most recent book in the series, Dead Detective: A Walk Among Souls.[7]

Munger resides in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, the same setting as many of her books, and remains active in local writing and crime fiction communities. In 2011, she co-founded Thalia Press with author Lise McClendon. Described as an "author's co-op," Thalia Press publishes crime and contemporary fiction by established authors looking to reissue previously out-of-print titles or release new works.[8]

In 2023, she began co-publishing a quarterly literary magazine, Dark Yonder, with fellow North Carolina author Eryk Pruitt. This anthology series features noir-themed short stories written by best-selling and emerging authors.[1]

Tart Noir

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Munger's genre of writing is described as Tart Noir, which is a subsection of crime fiction created in part by Munger.[9] In publicizing the genre, she has teamed up with the three other creators and writers, Sparkle Hayter, Laura Lippman, and Lauren Henderson, for book signings and other venues.[10] It is believed that the authors first met and befriended each other by "getting drunk together at writers conferences".[11] Not long afterwards, the four worked together in creating and promoting their new website, titled Tartcity.com.[12][13] Munger and a collection of 19 other Tart Noir writers also came together to write an anthology of original stories in 2002.[14]

Awards

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  • 2002, American Crime Writers League's "Ellen Nehr Award"[15]

Works

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Hubbert & Lil series (as Gallagher Gray/Katy Munger)

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  • Partners In Crime (1991)[16]
  • A Cast Of Killers (1992)
  • Death Of A Dream Maker (1995)
  • Motive For Murder (1996)
  • Too Old To Die (2023)

Casey Jones series

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  • Legwork (1997)
  • Out of Time (1998)
  • Money to Burn (1999)[17]
  • Bad to the Bone (2000)
  • Better Off Dead (2001)
  • Bad Moon on the Rise (2009)
  • Fire and Rain (2019)[18]

Dead Detective series (as Chaz McGee/Katy Munger)

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  • The First Goodbye (2009)
  • The Innocence Killer (2010)
  • A Dance with Darkness (2011)
  • A Walk Among Souls (2012)

References

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  1. ^ "Katy Munger's Author Biography". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  2. ^ R. Swanson, Jean; Darryl Dean James (1994). By a woman's hand: a guide to mystery fiction by women. Berkley Books. p. 89. ISBN 9780425141434. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  3. ^ Nichols, Victoria; Susan Thompson (1998). Silk stalkings: more women write of murder. Scarecrow Press. pp. 275–276. ISBN 9780810833937. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  4. ^ Kathleen Faulk (February 5, 1992). "Reviewers Hear Talk on Lindbergh". The Robesonian. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  5. ^ "About | Katy Munger │ Author & Creative". Katy Munger │ Author. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  6. ^ "Casey Jones Series". Katy Munger │ Author. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  7. ^ "About | Katy Munger │ Author & Creative". Katy Munger │ Author. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  8. ^ "About". Thalia Press. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  9. ^ Deborah Hornblow (April 7, 2002). "Liberated Women; Lauren Henderson is the Godmother of 'Tart Noir'". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  10. ^ Donna Scaglione (March 1, 2004). "Tart noir comes to Cape Cod". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  11. ^ University of Melbourne (2007). "Meanjin". 66 (1–2). University of Melbourne: 206. Retrieved December 4, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ^ Kimberly Stevens (April 9, 2000). "Mystery Writers Spice Up a Genre With Tart Noir". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  13. ^ Leigh Redhead (2007). Cherry Pie (Master of Philosophy thesis). University of Queensland. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  14. ^ Stella Duffy (August 7, 2002). "Stella Duffy's top 10 tart noir books". The Guardian. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  15. ^ "Nehr Award". www.acwl.org. American Crime Writers League. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  16. ^ Mary Campbell (February 23, 1992). "Senior Partners in Crime". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  17. ^ Oline H. Cogdill (August 29, 1999). "Highbrow Homicide, Movie Murder". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  18. ^ Fire and Rain: A Casey Jones Mystery. Independently published. 21 July 2019. ISBN 9781081337636.

Further reading

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