Harol Marshall’s Biography      

Harol Marshall was born and raised in the town of Rotterdam, a suburb of the upstate New York city of Schenectady.  Harol’s love of mysteries began when her middle school librarian introduced her to Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason novels.  Additional credit goes to her father, a police officer in her home town who entertained his family with daily stories of life on the force, and her British mother who introduced Harol to English cozies. 

In college, Harol’s short stories entertained her English professor who encouraged her to switch her major from mathematics to English.  (See the News page for links to some of Harol's short stories.) However, the prospect of finding a job after college led to a short-lived major in the literary field.  After marriage and graduation in that order, she taught biology for two years before staying home to raise two children, then returning to school for graduate studies.

Harol (named for her father’s brother) holds a PhD in anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh.  While there she conducted field research in the State of Tlaxcala in central Mexico, the setting for her Anna Merino novels.  In 1985, Harol moved to Greensboro, North Carolina where she resides with her husband and four cats.  Harol and her husband travel regularly to Tlaxcala, most recently to attend a cooking course at the Mexican Home Cooking School. A recipe from the school can be found at the end of Harol's books.

Harol's first novel, A Corpse for Cuamantla, is the first in the Anna Merino series. The book features a young American anthropologist who assists the Tlaxcala police in solving local murders. The second book in the series, A Corpse for the Matadora, is now out in E-book format.  Harol is busy writing the third Anna Merino novel, A Corpse for Cortez, due out in January, 2012.

Harol’s second book Holy Death, is the first in the P.I. Polly Berger ‘hard-boiled’ detective series set in Hollywood, California.  Polly and her part-time secretary (stand-up comic and karate instructor) Bernardo 'Bunny' Contreras will keep you amused as they solve client's murder cases with the help of Polly's ex-husband Hollywood Detective Johnny Birdwhistle.  The second P.I. Berger book, Holy Mole Murder is out in E-book format. The third book in the series, Holy Kow! is due out in January, 2012. 

You can email Harol at:  harolmarsh at gmail.com.