After 30 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, author Carmen Amato uses her background to craft intrigue-filled crime fiction that keeps you guessing until the very end. Originally from upstate New York, her experiences in Mexico and Central America ignited her fiction career. Her Detective Emilia Cruz police procedural series is a two-time winner of the Outstanding Series award from CrimeMasters of America and the first novel in her Galliano Club historical fiction thriller series was awarded the 2023 Silver Falchion award. Amato is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. Find out more at carmenamato.net.