Joanna Schaffhausen

Last updated
Joanna Schaffhausen
Joanna Schaffhausen publicity photo for All the Way Gone (cropped).jpg
Schaffhausen with All the Way Gone in 2024
Occupation
Education
Genre
  • Mystery
  • police procedural
  • thriller
Notable awards Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur Books First Crime Novel Award
Spouse
Garrett Rooney
​
(m. 2008)​
Children1
Website
joannaschaffhausen.com

Joanna Schaffhausen is an American mystery novelist and former science journalist. She has authored nine novels in two series about female protagonists, with thriller and police procedural elements, that have been translated to four languages. Before writing full time, she worked as a science advisor for ABC News television and edited a pharmacological journal.

Contents

Education and journalism career

Joanna Schaffhausen graduated from Tufts University in 1996, majoring in psychology, specifically neuroscience. [1] She says she tried nearly every Tufts department before deciding to major in neuroscience when she realized that it was the brain studying about itself. [2] She received a PhD in behavioral neuroscience from Yale University in 2003, [3] studying learning in memory under Thomas J. Carew. [2]

Schaffhausen reporting for ABC News from a National Human Genome Research Institute seminar in 2010 Joanna Schaffhausen at National Human Genome Research Institute seminar.jpg
Schaffhausen reporting for ABC News from a National Human Genome Research Institute seminar in 2010

After graduating, Schaffhausen worked as an editorial producer for ABC News television, doing science advising for programs such as ABC World News , Good Morning America and 20/20 . [2] [4] [5] In 2010, she joined the science publisher Cell Press as an editor at Trends in Pharmacological Sciences . [2] She left Cell Press in 2018 to write full time. [6] [7]

Mystery writing

Ellery Hathaway series

Schaffhausen's first published mystery novel was The Vanishing Season, published in December 2017 by the Minotaur imprint of St. Martin's Press ( ISBN   978-1-250-12604-7). [8] It introduced Ellery "Ellie" Hathaway, junior police officer in the fictional town of Woodbury, Massachusetts. As a child, she was the sole survivor of a serial killer, and changed her name to escape the publicity. When she suspects another serial killer is stalking both her small town, and her personally, Ellery calls Reed Markham, the disgraced FBI criminal profiler who rescued her fourteen years ago. [9]

The Vanishing Season won the 2016 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. [9] [10] It was translated to Czech as Noc, kdy zmizela Bea Nesbitová (literally The night Bea Nesbit died) in September 2018 (Metafora, ISBN   978-80-7359-572-2), [11] and to German as Wie viele willst du töten (literally How many do you want to kill) in March 2020 (dtv Verlagsgesellschaft, ISBN   9783423219204). [12]

Her second book, No Mercy, published in January 2019 (Minotaur, ISBN   978-1-250-29736-5), [13] follows Ellery, on involuntary leave and attending group therapy classes after shooting the killer from the first book. She becomes interested in the stories of two members, a rape victim, and a mother who lost her son to an arsonist. Since she can't investigate officially, she calls her friend Reed Markham. [14] [15] The book was translated to Czech as Bez smilování later in 2019 (Metafora, ISBN   978-80-271-2277-6), [16] and to Hungarian as Nincs kegyelem in July 2023 (Holnap Kiadó, ISBN   9789633494110). [17] [18]

All the Best Lies, published in February 2020 ( ISBN   978-1-250-29738-9), [19] describes Reed Markham and Ellery Hathaway investigating the murder of Reed's mother, in Las Vegas, forty years ago. Reed was adopted after her death, but DNA tests reveal that his adopting father was actually his biological father. [20] It was translated to Czech as Jedna velká lež in July 2020 (Metafora, ISBN   978-80-7625-087-1), [21] and to German as All die dunklen Lügen in February 2021 (dtv Verlagsgesellschaft, ISBN   9783423218405). [22]

Every Waking Hour (January 2021, ISBN   978-1-250-24965-4) has Ellery and Reed trying to find a girl who disappeared from a Boston street fair. [23] The novel also follows the fragile relationship between the two, who became a romantic couple in the previous book. [24]

Last Seen Alive (January 2022, ISBN   978-1-250-24967-8) sees the return of Francis Coben, the serial murderer and kidnapper that originally brought Ellery and Reed together. [25] Coben, in prison, offers to reveal the graves of his previous victims if he can meet Ellie again. [26] The novel concludes with a coda for the series, Ellery's and Reed's relationship, and their plans for the rest of their lives. [26]

Annalisa Vega series

Schaffhausen signing copies of Dead and Gone in 2023 Joanna Schaffhausen book signing for Dead and Gone (cropped).jpg
Schaffhausen signing copies of Dead and Gone in 2023

Gone for Good, Schaffhausen's fifth novel, (August 2021, ISBN   978-1-250-26460-2) marked the start of a new novel series, about Detective Annalisa Vega of the Chicago Police Department. [27] In it, a serial killer has apparently returned after twenty years, the victim being a member of a group of cold case amateur sleuths, and a childhood friend of Vega's mother. [28] It was published in Estonian as Jäädavalt lahkunud in 2024 (Suur Puu, ISBN   9789916928134). [29]

Long Gone (August 2022, ISBN   978-1-250-26463-3) sees Vega and her partner and ex-husband Nick Carelli investigate the murder of a legendary Chicago police officer, and his wife telling a fantastic story of an intruder in wetsuit and diving mask. [30] The complex investigation sees Vega framed for murder by the victim's former partners. [31]

Dead and Gone (August 2023, ISBN   9781250853370) has Vega investigating the death of a private investigator and former police officer, her boss's old friend. [32] Before Sam Tran was found hanging from a tree, he was investigating three complex cases, including a stalker of Vega's niece. [33]

All the Way Gone (August 2024, ISBN   9781250904140) sees Vega having left the Chicago Police Department to open her own detective agency. [34] Vega follows two cases at once, an author wondering whether the doctor subject of her book, The Good Sociopath, is actually a murderer, and finding the mother of Vega's stepdaughter's girlfriend, who needs a kidney transplant. [35] All the Way Gone was nominated for the 2025 G. P. Putnam's Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award. [36]

Mystery writing support

Besides novels, Schaffhausen writes articles about mystery writing, [37] true crime, especially murders, [38] and reviews mystery novels by other authors. [39]

Schaffhausen has served on the board of the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America from 2020, [40] as its vice president from 2021–2024, [41] and as its current president, from 2025. [42] [43]

Personal life

Schaffhausen (right) with husband Garrett Rooney, inside the model of a Apollo command module at the Boston Museum of Science at their wedding reception, 2008 Garrett Rooney, Joanna Schaffhausen inside The Apollo Command Module (cropped).jpg
Schaffhausen (right) with husband Garrett Rooney, inside the model of a Apollo command module at the Boston Museum of Science at their wedding reception, 2008

Schaffhausen lives in Canton, Massachusetts with her husband, their daughter, [44] [45] and a basset hound she used as a model for Ellery Hathaway's dog Bump. [46] [14] Her husband, Garrett Rooney, is a software engineer and was a published author before she was (his book, Practical Subversion , was published by Apress in 2005, ISBN   1590592905). [47] [48]

References

  1. ↑ Jimenez, Monica (31 October 2022). "How Serial Killers Captured Popular Culture". Tufts Now. Tufts University . Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Pavlovich, Matt (August 5, 2016). "Meet the Editor: Joanna Schaffhausen". Cell . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Psychology Dept. Ph.D. Graduates". Yale University Department of Psychology. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  4. ↑ "Multitasking May Harm Memory". ABC News . July 24, 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Schaffhausen, Joanna (October 14, 2006). "How Blindfolded People Can 'See'". ABC News . Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  6. ↑ "Masthead". Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 39 (3): 223. March 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  7. ↑ "Masthead". Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 39 (4): 327. April 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  8. ↑ "The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen". Publishers Weekly . 2017-09-04. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  9. 1 2 DeSilva, Bruce (5 December 2017). "'The Vanishing Season' has precise prose, suspenseful plot". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "2016 MWA/Minotaur Best First Novel Winner". YouTube . Mystery Writers of America. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  11. ↑ "Noc, kdy zmizela Bea Nesbittová" (in Czech). Grada Publishing  [ cz ]. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  12. ↑ "Wie viele willst du töten: Thriller von Joanna Schaffhausen – Taschenbuch". Medimops (in German). Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen". Publishers Weekly . 2018-10-29. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  14. 1 2 DeSilva, Bruce (2019-01-15). "a book review by Bruce DeSilva: No Mercy: A Mystery (Ellery Hathaway)". New York Journal of Books. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  15. ↑ Cogdill, Oline H. (14 January 2019). "Review: Real and emotional prisons flow through 'No Mercy'". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  16. ↑ Joanna, Schaffhausenová (7 June 2019). Kniha Bez smilování – Joanna Schaffhausen | Dobré Knihy.cz (in Czech). Grada Publishing a.s. ISBN   978-80-271-2277-6 . Retrieved 14 May 2025– via Dobré knihy cz.
  17. ↑ "Nincs kegyelem". www.lira.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  18. ↑ Nincs kegyelem. Sci-fi, fantasy, krimi. ISBN   978-963-349-411-0 . Retrieved 14 May 2025– via Antikvárium.hu  [ hu ].
  19. ↑ "All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen". Publishers Weekly . 2019-11-14. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  20. ↑ DeSilva, Bruce (11 February 2020). "Review: Schaffhausen's 'All the Best Lies' is fast-paced". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  21. ↑ "Jedna velká lež" (in Czech). Grada Publishing  [ cz ]. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  22. ↑ "All die dunklen Lügen: Thriller (Die Ellery-Hathaway-Reihe, Band 2) von Joanna Schaffhausen – Taschenbuch". Medimops (in German). Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  23. ↑ "Every Waking Hour by Joanna Schaffhausen". Publishers Weekly . 2020-10-07. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  24. ↑ DeSilva, Bruce (25 January 2021). "Review: Schaffhausen spins a twisty tale at a torrid pace". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025. Also available as DeSilva, Bruce (25 January 2021). "Review: Schaffhausen spins a twisty tale at a torrid pace". St. Albert Gazette . Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  25. ↑ "Last Seen Alive by Joanna Schaffhausen". Publishers Weekly . 2021-10-14. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  26. 1 2 DeSilva, Bruce (24 January 2022). "Review: Schaffhausen sets standard for serial killer novels". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  27. ↑ "Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen". Publishers Weekly . 2021-05-21. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  28. ↑ DeSilva, Bruce (9 August 2021). "Review: In 'Gone for Good,' a detective hunts dormant killer". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025. Also available as DeSilva, Bruce (9 August 2021). "Review: In 'Gone for Good,' a detective hunts dormant killer". Yahoo Entertainment . Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  29. ↑ "Jäädavalt lahkunud". Rahva Raamat (in Estonian). 2024-10-30. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  30. ↑ "Long Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen". Publishers Weekly . 2022-06-09. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  31. ↑ DeSilva, Bruce (15 August 2022). "Review: Detective solves murder of a legendary Chicago cop". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  32. ↑ "DEAD AND GONE". Kirkus Reviews . June 8, 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  33. ↑ DeSilva, Bruce (7 August 2023). "Book Review: A private eye's death sets a Chicago cop on a hairy investigation in 'Dead and Gone'". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  34. ↑ "ALL THE WAY GONE". Kirkus Reviews . May 31, 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  35. ↑ DeSilva, Bruce (12 August 2024). "Book Review: Is the brilliant surgeon a 'Good Sociopath?' Chicago P.I. Annalisa Vega has her doubts". AP News . Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  36. ↑ "MWA Announces the 2025 Edgar Award Nominations". Mystery Writers of America . 22 January 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  37. ↑ "Joanna Schaffhausen". CrimeReads. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  38. ↑ Schaffhausen, Joanna. "Joanna Schaffhausen, Author at Criminal Element". Criminal Element. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  39. ↑ "Joanna Schaffhausen | new york journal of books". www.nyjournalofbooks.com. Archived from the original on 2025-04-20. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  40. ↑ "Board and Officers". Mystery Writers of America, New England Chapter. 19 September 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  41. ↑ "A Conversation with Edgar Winner Joanna Shaffhausen". Sisters in Crime New York. Dec 15, 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  42. ↑ "Mystery Panel Featuring Karen Olson, Joanna Schaffhausen, and Clea Simon". Porter Square Books. April 15, 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  43. ↑ "Board and Officers". Mystery Writers of America, New England Chapter. 5 May 2025. Archived from the original on 5 May 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  44. ↑ Schaffhausen, Joanna. "About The Author". Joanna Schaffhausen. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  45. ↑ West, Nancy Shohet (March 4, 2022). "Even during the pandemic, these Greater Boston authors kept writing". Boston Globe . Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  46. ↑ Schaffhausen, Joanna (25 August 2020). "Pets Are People Too". Joanna Schaffhausen. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  47. ↑ Brown, Martin (July 20, 2005). "Book review: Practical Subversion by Garrett Rooney". Free Software Magazine . Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  48. ↑ Gibian, Marc S. (November 2007). "Review of 'Practical Subversion, Second Edition, by Daniel Berlin and Garrett Rooney,' Apress, 2006, $34.99, ISBN: 1590597532". ACM Queue . Vol. 5, no. 7. p. 51. doi:10.1145/1331287.1331298 . Retrieved 19 May 2025.
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