Moore, Laurie

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MOORE, Laurie

PERSONAL: Born in TX; children: one daughter. Education: University of Texas at Austin, B.A.; graduated from law school.

ADDRESSES: Home—P.O. Box 9222, Fort Worth, TX 76147-2222. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Former police officer and sergeant; former district attorney investigator in Austin, Lockhart, and San Antonio, TX; currently reserve deputy constable in Tarrant County, TX; attorney in Fort Worth, TX.

WRITINGS:

fiction

Constable's Run, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2002.

The Lady Godiva Murder, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2002.

Constable's Apprehension, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2003.

The Wild Orchid Society: A Cezanne Martin Mystery, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2004.

Constable's Wedding, 2005.

Contributor of short stories to anthologies, including Haunted Encounters: Real-Life Stories of Supernatural Experiences.

SIDELIGHTS: Laurie Moore is an attorney and former police officer who has turned to writing mystery novels. The writing bug bit her at an early age, and she wrote her first story when she was six years old as a birthday present for her father. As an adult she went on to work for the police department, achieving the rank of sergeant; she then went back to school to become an attorney. Though she now works as a reserve deputy constable for Tarrant County, Texas, and has a law practice in Fort Worth, she has remained passionate about writing, mining her experiences in law enforcement to write her mystery novels and short stories.

Moore's first novel, Constable's Run, kicks off a series of books featuring Fort Worth Constable Jinx Porter and his girlfriend, Raven. In the midst of trying to keep his job while up against an inexperienced opponent who nevertheless has deep pockets, Porter discovers Raven has a price on her head because she has insulted the prince of the gypsies. Raven, meanwhile, discovers Porter has issues with fidelity, but she gets her revenge by throwing her own hat into the race for the constable position. Booklist reviewer Barbara M. Bibel commented that the book, "more a humorous look at Texas politics than a full-blown mystery—is fairly entertaining."

With The Lady Godiva Murder Moore takes a step away from her "Constable" series to introduce a new character, but she still draws on Texas law enforcement for her background. The novel follows police officer Cezanne Martin through the intricate Lady Godiva case, which involves the murder of a woman who happens to be the daughter of Martin's captain, as well as the secret lover of Roby Tyson, Martin's partner. Martin finds herself struggling to clear Tyson and solve the murder from the demoted position of a desk job. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly observed that Moore includes too many subplots in her novel, but noted that the author "knows the Texas justice system and writes credibly about its fools and foibles." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews commented that "Moore isn't conflict-shy, and she's created a no-holdsbarred heroine who does whatever she needs to in order to come out on top."

Constable's Apprehension returns Moore to the world of her first novel. In this volume, she recounts the further adventures of Jinx Porter and his now-exgirlfriend Raven, who is serving as Reserve Deputy Constable. Raven's resignation ends in Porter taking back his old post, but the job does not go smoothly; a series of mishaps leads him to believe that someone within the local hierarchy is leaking law-enforcement secrets. Harriet Klausner, in a review for AllReaders.com, called the book "a fun tale that provides immense entertainment to sub-genre fans."

The Wild Orchid Society is Moore's second "Cezanne Martin" mystery. Following her escapades in solving the Lady Godiva case, Martin finds herself heading up the Fort Worth Police Department's cold case squad. What looks to be a promotion is actually an attempt by Martin's deputy chief, who dislikes her, to force her to fail. Not one to back down from a challenge, Martin sets out to solve an eight-year-old murder case. Rex E. Klett, in a review for Library Journal, wrote that "crisp dialog, critical antagonisms, and shifty plotting rule" in this novel.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, October 15, 2002, Barbara M. Bibel, review of Constable's Run, p. 392; October 15, 2003, Sue O'Brien, review of Constable's Apprehension, p. 394.

Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2002, review of The Lady Godiva Murder, p. 1573.

Library Journal, May 1, 2004, Rex E. Klett, review of The Wild Orchid Society: A Cezanne Martin Mystery, p. 143.

Publishers Weekly, December 2, 2002, review of The Lady Godiva Murder, p. 37; October 20, 2003, review of Constable's Apprehension, p. 38.