Holly West

Holly West is the acclaimed author of the Mistress of Fortune series, set in late 17th century London and featuring amateur sleuth Isabel Wilde, a mistress to King Charles II who secretly makes her living as a fortuneteller. The first in the series, Mistress of Fortune, was nominated for the Left Coast Crime Rosebud Award for Best First Novel.

Holly’s short stories appear online and in numerous anthologies, including The Big Book of Jack the Ripper, Florida Happens, and, most recently, The Eviction of Hope. Her short fiction has been honored with Anthony Award nominations three times, and her novella, The Money Block, about a pair of grifters who set up a cryptocurrency con, is out now from Down & Out Books.

Holly’s also the editor of Murder-A-Go-Go’s, an Anthony Award-nominated crime fiction anthology inspired by the music of The Go-Go’s. Net proceeds from the collection benefit Planned Parenthood of America.

Before devoting herself to writing fiction full-time, Holly was an accomplished goldsmith and jewelry designer. Prior to that, she worked as a foreign credentials analyst and published several nonfiction monographs on international educational systems throughout the world.

Holly lives in Northern California with her husband, Mick, and dogs, Stella and Brando. She’s a member of the Mystery Writers of America, for which she edits the Southern California chapter’s newsletter. She’s also a member of Sisters in Crime and was formerly on the Local Organizing Committee of Bouchercon 2020 Sacramento, where she served as registrar and website manager.