Isabella Maldonado is the award-winning and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Cruz series and of The Cipher and A Different Dawn in the Nina Guerrera series. Before turning to crime writing, she wore a gun and badge in real life. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, she served as a hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and district station commander. She uses her extensive law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing. Maldonado lives in the Phoenix area with her family. For more information, visit www.isabellamaldonado.com.