Dean Klinkenberg

I write crime fiction carved from the currents of the Mississippi River. I’m the author of the Frank Dodge mysteries, where a restless writer keeps stumbling into trouble in river towns from Minnesota to New Orleans—cold secrets, crooked deals, and the kind of neighbors who smile while they lie.

The river isn’t just a backdrop for me; it’s the engine of the stories. I chase its history and characters, then turn what I find into twists, suspects, and places you can smell and feel. Along the way, Dodge wrestles with the same things the rest of us do—who we are, what we owe, and how to hold on to the people we love when the current gets rough.

I grew up in the Midwest, first fell for the Mississippi in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and now live in St. Louis, a short drive from Old Man River. When I’m not sending Dodge into danger, I’m roaming river towns, filling notebooks, and taking photos for the next mystery.

If you like noir with a strong sense of place, start the Frank Dodge series and come see what the river is hiding.