Lia Matera (born 1952) is a Canadian author of two series of mystery novels and short stories.

Biography

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Matera was born in 1952 in Canada. She graduated from Hastings College of Law in 1981. She was a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School in the early 1980s. She lives in Santa Cruz, California.[1]

Matera is known for the Willa Jansson series and the Laura Di Palma series.[2]

Critical reception

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Two of Matera's works have received starred reviews from Booklist: Face Value (Simon & Schuster, 1994)[3] and Last Chants (Simon & Schuster, 1996).[4]

Awards[1]

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  • Anthony and Macavity Award nominations, 1990, for The Good Fight
  • Edgar Award nomination, 1991, for Prior Convictions
  • Edgar Award and Anthony Award nominations, 1991, for A Radical Departure
  • Anthony Award and Macavity Award nominations, 1991, for Where Lawyers Fear to Tread
  • Shamus Award for Best Short Story, 1996, for "Dead Drunk"

Selected works

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Willa Jansson series

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  1. Where Lawyers Fear to Tread, Bantam, 1987.
  2. A Radical Departure, Bantam, 1988.
  3. Hidden Agenda, Bantam, 1988.
  4. Prior Convictions, Simon & Schuster, 1991.[5]
  5. Last Chants, Simon & Schuster, 1996.[6]
  6. Star Witness, Simon & Schuster, 1997.[7]
  7. Havana Twist, Simon & Schuster, 1998.[8]

Laura DiPalma series

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  1. The Smart Money, Bantam, 1988.
  2. The Good Fight, Simon & Schuster, 1990.
  3. A Hard Bargain, Simon & Schuster, 1992.
  4. Face Value, Simon & Schuster, 1994.
  5. Designer Crimes, Simon & Schuster, 1995.

As contributor

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  • (Editor) Irreconcilable Differences, HarperCollins, 1999.
  • Counsel for the Defense and Other Stories, Five Star, 2000.
  • Edgar and Shamus Go Golden. Down & Out Books, 2022.

Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Matera, Lia 1952- | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  2. ^ Kinman, Gay Toltl; McAleer, Andrew (2022-12-05). Edgar & Shamus Go Golden: Twelve Tales of Murder, Mystery, and Master Detection from the Golden Age of Mystery and Beyond. Down & Out Books.
  3. ^ Face Value, by Lia Matera. Booklist.
  4. ^ Last Chants, by Lia Matera. Booklist.
  5. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (1991-03-24). "Crime". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  6. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (1996-06-23). "Crime". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  7. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (June 29, 1997). "Books". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  8. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (May 17, 1998). "Books". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-30.


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