Casarett, David: - Dr. David Casarett is a physician, researcher, and tenured Professor at the Duke University School of Medicine, one of the country's top medical schools. Casarett is the chief of Palliative Care for Duke, where he directs the Duke Center for Palliative Care. He is the author of more than 100 articles in journals including JAMA and The New England Journal of Medicine, and his writing has appeared in print and online in Salon, Esquire, Discover, and Wired. He is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the US government to researchers in the early stages of their careers.

Dr. Casarett is also the author of three non-fiction books, Last Acts (Simon & Schuster), Shocked: Adventures in Bringing Back the Recently Dead, and Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana (both Penguin Random House). He's also written two well-reviewed novels in the Ethical Chiang Mai Detective Agency series, Murder in the House of Rooster Happiness, and The Missing Guests of the Magic Grove Hotel (Hachette).