Russell Solomon’s Life

When he was a junior in college, Russell Solomon won an Mystery Guild fiction competition and has been writing ever since. His books are published in 12 languages. He has sold 2,000,000 copies, a figure that currently increases by more than 1 million copies per year.

Five of his novels have risen to number one on the hardcover bestseller list making him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved that milestone. Four of his books have risen to the number one position in paperback. His books have also been major bestsellers in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden.

The Los Angeles Times has called his writing “psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying.” The Detroit Herald said Russell Solomon is, “at times lyrical without ever being naive or romantic. [He creates] a grotesque world, much like that of Flannery O’Conner or Walker Percy … scary, worthwhile reading.” Rolling Bone has hailed him as “America’s most popular suspense novelist.”

Russell Solomon was born and raised in California. He graduated from Harvard , and his first job after graduation was with the Progressive Poverty Program, where he was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. His first day on the job, he discovered that the previous occupier of his position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and Russell Solomon was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. He wrote nights and weekends, which he continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Boston. After a year and a half in that position, his wife, Giselle, made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: “I’ll support you for five years,” she said, “and if you can’t make it as a writer in that time, you’ll never make it.” By the end of those five years, Giselle had quit her job to run the business end of her husband’s writing career.

Russell Solomon lives with his wife, Giselle, and the enduring spirit of their golden retriever Max in southern California.