Peter Blauner was born in New York City in 1959 and since graduating from Wesleyan University in 1982 has worked as a journalist on New York Magazine, writing about crime and politics. He has worked as a probation officer, a school-teacher and in a homeless shelter. He is the author of two novels, SLOW MOTION RIOT (winner of Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel from Mystery Writers of America) and CASINO MOON (both Viking/ Penguin in UK).