Douglas Anne Munson
Encyclopedia
Douglas Anne Munson was an attorney, teacher, and author of four critically acclaimed novels. She published three of those novels under the pseudonym of Mercedes Lambert.
Douglas Anne Munson was born in Crossville, Tennessee
on February 17, 1948. She was named Douglas by her father in honor of his brother Douglas who died in World War II
.
As the daughter of a newspaperman, Douglas's childhood was spent moving from town to town before her family finally settled in southern California
. Douglas attended the University of New Mexico
, where she majored in Latin American studies, and lived for a year in Ecuador
. After attending law school at UCLA, Douglas became an attorney in the Los Angeles
criminal courts. Most of her legal career was spent in dependency court.
Dependency court is where children who have been removed from their parent's custody because of severe abuse, neglect or abandonment move through the legal system. It's a niche of the judicial system with a high burn-out rate.
In 1990, Douglas published a novel called El Niño with Viking Press
. The book was well received by critics and Douglas went on to publish two mystery novels with Viking
under the name of Mercedes Lambert, Dogtown in 1991 and Soultown in 1996. These books feature two women detectives: Whitney Logan, fresh out of law school, and Lupe Ramos, a chicana prostitute. Drawn into webs of corruption and deceit, Whitney and Lupe move through the multicultural landscape of southern California
. Their relationship underlines the cultural friction in Los Angeles
at the end of the 20th century.
In the mid-1990s, Douglas had three well-regarded books published. She was teaching creative writing and journaling at UCLA. Los Angeles magazine, in an article on the hottest LA mystery writers, included her in a group composed of Michael Connelly
, Walter Mosley
, James Ellroy
, and Robert Crais
. Despite growing recognition and accomplishment, Douglas was struggling to stay afloat. As the caseload in dependency court grew, she became less able to endure the suffering she witnessed daily.
In 1996, Douglas resigned from the courts and quit teaching. She moved briefly to Bainbridge Island in Washington state
to complete the third Whitney Logan novel, Ghosttown. During this time she traveled back-and-forth to San Francisco to earn a credential to teach English abroad.
After completing Ghosttown, Douglas sent it to her agent. She learned a month later the publisher had rejected the book, mainly over creative differences. After trying unsuccessfully to reshape the book into a completely different work, Douglas stopped writing completely and accepted a position in the Czech Republic
teaching English to soldiers, missionaries, and mink farmers.
In 2001, Douglas discovered a lump in her breast. She had successfully fought breast cancer
while writing El Niño in the late 1980s. Fearing the cancer had returned, Douglas returned to the United States
to seek medical treatment in Connecticut
. When the tests were conclusive, she was given six months to live. She outlived that prediction, and was able to make one last visit to the Czech Republic
in December 2003 before dying on December 22, 2003 at a hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut
.
Four years after her death, Ghosttown, the third and final Whitney Logan mystery, found a publisher with Five Star Mystery; in the Spring of 2008, the first two Whitney Logan mysteries—Dogtown and Soultown—will be reprinted in a single edition by Stark House.
.
2007, Ghosttown scheduled to be published in hardback by Five Star Mystery Press with an introduction by Michael Connelly
.
1997, Soultown published in paperback by Penguin Books
.
1996, Soultown published in hardcover by Viking
.
1994, Contributor to Los Angeles Times
feature: “The Writer in the Sun They came, they saw, they wrote. Sometimes they didn't even see; they imagined, and it turned out to be true. A sampler of how various writers have tried to pin L.A. down.” (May 29, 1994).
1994, Botticelli’s Venus (short fiction) published in Tales of the Heart.
1992, Dogtown published in paperback by Penguin Books
.
1992, El Niño published as Hostile Witness in paperback by Pinnacle Books.
1991, Dogtown published in paperback in Germany by Ariadne Krimi as Die dunkle Seite der Lichterstadt.
1991, Dogtown published in hardcover by Viking
.
1990, El Niño published in hardcover by Viking
.
Douglas Anne Munson's website is at: Mercedes Lambert
Douglas Anne Munson was born in Crossville, Tennessee
Crossville, Tennessee
Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...
on February 17, 1948. She was named Douglas by her father in honor of his brother Douglas who died in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
As the daughter of a newspaperman, Douglas's childhood was spent moving from town to town before her family finally settled in southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Douglas attended the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
, where she majored in Latin American studies, and lived for a year in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. After attending law school at UCLA, Douglas became an attorney in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
criminal courts. Most of her legal career was spent in dependency court.
Dependency court is where children who have been removed from their parent's custody because of severe abuse, neglect or abandonment move through the legal system. It's a niche of the judicial system with a high burn-out rate.
In 1990, Douglas published a novel called El Niño with Viking Press
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
. The book was well received by critics and Douglas went on to publish two mystery novels with Viking
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
under the name of Mercedes Lambert, Dogtown in 1991 and Soultown in 1996. These books feature two women detectives: Whitney Logan, fresh out of law school, and Lupe Ramos, a chicana prostitute. Drawn into webs of corruption and deceit, Whitney and Lupe move through the multicultural landscape of southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Their relationship underlines the cultural friction in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at the end of the 20th century.
"Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
is the greatest city for crime fiction because of all the conflicts and potential for conflict. We start out on a precarious footing, trembling on the brink of natural disaster. Then we take hundreds of thousands of people who didn't get along in their countries of origin, add that to an entrenched, angry and frightened group of people who don't want them here, throw in a Santa AnaSanta Ana windThe Santa Ana winds are strong, extremely dry offshore winds that characteristically sweep through Southern California and northern Baja California in late fall and winter. They can range from hot to cold, depending on the prevailing temperatures in the source regions, the Great Basin and upper...
, a few random insane murderers and pedophiles and then turn the whole thing over to studio executives and the LAPDLos Angeles Police DepartmentThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
. It's like a woman with bad skin piling on a lot of makeup. Things are going to get ugly before the night is over."
Douglas Anne Munson, Los Angeles magazine, 1996
In the mid-1990s, Douglas had three well-regarded books published. She was teaching creative writing and journaling at UCLA. Los Angeles magazine, in an article on the hottest LA mystery writers, included her in a group composed of Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books, which have been translated into 36 languages, have garnered him many awards...
, Walter Mosley
Walter Mosley
Walter Ellis Mosley is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private investigator and World War II veteran living in the Watts neighborhood of Los...
, James Ellroy
James Ellroy
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
, and Robert Crais
Robert Crais
Robert Crais is an American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. He lists amongst his literary influences the authors Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest...
. Despite growing recognition and accomplishment, Douglas was struggling to stay afloat. As the caseload in dependency court grew, she became less able to endure the suffering she witnessed daily.
In 1996, Douglas resigned from the courts and quit teaching. She moved briefly to Bainbridge Island in Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
to complete the third Whitney Logan novel, Ghosttown. During this time she traveled back-and-forth to San Francisco to earn a credential to teach English abroad.
After completing Ghosttown, Douglas sent it to her agent. She learned a month later the publisher had rejected the book, mainly over creative differences. After trying unsuccessfully to reshape the book into a completely different work, Douglas stopped writing completely and accepted a position in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
teaching English to soldiers, missionaries, and mink farmers.
In 2001, Douglas discovered a lump in her breast. She had successfully fought breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
while writing El Niño in the late 1980s. Fearing the cancer had returned, Douglas returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to seek medical treatment in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. When the tests were conclusive, she was given six months to live. She outlived that prediction, and was able to make one last visit to the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
in December 2003 before dying on December 22, 2003 at a hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
.
Four years after her death, Ghosttown, the third and final Whitney Logan mystery, found a publisher with Five Star Mystery; in the Spring of 2008, the first two Whitney Logan mysteries—Dogtown and Soultown—will be reprinted in a single edition by Stark House.
Publication history
2008, Dogtown/Soultown omnibus edition scheduled to be published by Stark House with an introduction by Ken BruenKen Bruen
Ken Bruen is an Irish writer of hard-boiled and noir crime fiction.He was born in Galway, and educated at Gormanston College, County Meath and later at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a Ph.D. in metaphysics. He spent twenty-five years as an English teacher in Africa, Japan, S.E. Asia and...
.
2007, Ghosttown scheduled to be published in hardback by Five Star Mystery Press with an introduction by Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books, which have been translated into 36 languages, have garnered him many awards...
.
1997, Soultown published in paperback by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
.
1996, Soultown published in hardcover by Viking
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
.
1994, Contributor to Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
feature: “The Writer in the Sun They came, they saw, they wrote. Sometimes they didn't even see; they imagined, and it turned out to be true. A sampler of how various writers have tried to pin L.A. down.” (May 29, 1994).
1994, Botticelli’s Venus (short fiction) published in Tales of the Heart.
1992, Dogtown published in paperback by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
.
1992, El Niño published as Hostile Witness in paperback by Pinnacle Books.
1991, Dogtown published in paperback in Germany by Ariadne Krimi as Die dunkle Seite der Lichterstadt.
1991, Dogtown published in hardcover by Viking
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
.
1990, El Niño published in hardcover by Viking
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
.
Douglas Anne Munson's website is at: Mercedes Lambert