The Devil Riding

Valerie Wilson Wesley is the author of the Tamara Hayle Mystery series. Her previous books published by G.P. Putnam's Sons include: When Death Comes Stealing, Devil's Gonna Get Him, Where Evil Sleeps, Easier to Kill, and No Hiding Place . They have also been published in Great Britain, France and Germany, and television and film rights for the first three books have been optioned. Ms. Wesley is also the author of Freedom's Gifts: A Juneteenth Story, which is a picture book for children and the young adult novel Where Do I Go From Here (Scholastic, November 1993) for which she received an ALA Best Book for Reluctant Readers citation. She is formerly executive editor and currently a contributing editor of Essence magazine.

Ms. Wesley's fiction and nonfiction for both adults and children have appeared in many publications including Essence, Family Circle, TV Guide, Ms, Creative Classroom, and The New York Times. She is a 1993 recipient of the Griot Award from the New York Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Ms. Wesley is a graduate of Howard University and has received masters' degrees form both the Banks Street College of Education and the Columbia graduate School of Journalism. She is the mother of two grown daughters and the wife of noted screenwriter and playwright Richard Wesley.