Barbara Allan is the joint pseudonym of husband-and-wife mystery writers, Barbara and Max Allan Collins. Barbara is an acclaimed short-story writer, and Max is multi-award-winning New York Times bestselling novelist and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master. Their previous collaborations have included one son, a short story collection, and the long-running Trash 'n' Treasures mystery series. They live in Muscatine, Iowa - their Serenity-esque hometown - in a house filled with trash and treasures.