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 Born
in New Mexico in 1957, Mark Coggins earned two degrees and a Phi
Beta Kappa key from Stanford University. He has worked for a number
of Silicon Valley computer and venture capital firms, including
Netscape Communications, VeriSign, Hewlett Packard Company and three
(other) software start-ups.
While at Stanford, he studied creative writing with Tobias Wolff and Ron Hansen and wrote the first story featuring his series character August Riordan in a class taught by Hansen. This story, "There’s No Such Thing as Private Eyes," was later published in The New Black Mask, vol. 4, Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich.
His first novel, The Immortal Game, was nominated for three mystery book awards and was selected for a number of respected "best of the year" lists, including those put together by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Detroit Free Press and mystery maven Otto Penzler.
His second, Vulture Capital, was recognized as a defining portrayal of the dark side of Silicon Valley. CNBC said of the book, "a truer picture of Silicon Valley can't be found," and Salon.com, "Vulture Capital gives us Northern California in the 21st century, as noir as it ever was."
Publishers Weekly called his third, Candy from Strangers, "[a] gripping ... hard-boiled exploit," and Library Journal "[a] volume that fits comfortably alongside those of Hammett
and Chandler."
His fourth, Runoff, was picked for several best of the
year lists and was said by January Magazine to be the answer to
the question, "What's happening to the private eye novel?"
Coggins has published other short fiction in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and is the author of several nonfiction articles, including a profile of photographer Mark Citret in View Camera magazine.
He's been the keynote speaker at computer software conferences and an invited instructor at writers’ conferences, including The Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference. He's appeared on television and radio to discuss his work as well as the real world events and issues that inform it, such as Silicon Valley culture and venture capital.
He lives in San Francisco with his wife Linda and their cat Taki.
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