Davis, Kyra 1972-

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Davis, Kyra 1972-

PERSONAL:

Born 1972, in Santa Clara, CA; divorced; children: one son. Education: Golden Gate University, B.A. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES:

Home—San Francisco, CA. Agent—Kraas Literary Agency, 13514 Winter Creek Ct., Houston, TX 77077. E-mail—kdavis@kyradavis.com.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, Red Dress Ink (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights, Red Dress Ink (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

So Much for My Happy Ending, MIRA (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

Author of blog.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kyra Davis began writing while suffering from insomnia. She found she was making up stories while lying awake, as a means of keeping her mind off the stressful situations in her own life. She decided to try setting some of these stories down on paper, and once she started, she realized that writing was a passion for her. She had always been interested in the arts, at one time considering a career as an actress, then studying fashion and marketing design. She was pregnant and in the midst of a divorce when she began writing, and after her child was born, she continued to work on her stories, writing while her family provided child care. Within two years, she had completed her first manuscript. Before it was even published, Davis had signed a three-book deal with Red Dress Ink.

Davis's first book was a mystery, Sex, Murder and a Double Latte. Its heroine, Sophie Katz, has some things in common with her creator: both are mystery writers with Jewish and African-American heritage who live in San Francisco. In the story, Sophie is drawn into a real murder case when a film director, one who was adapting Sophie's work for the screen, is found dead. It looks like suicide, but the scene is reminiscent of one in a movie he had recently made. Sophie begins to suspect that a killer is targeting artists and using motifs from their work in the murders. Furthermore, it seems Sophie may be next on the killer's list. In addition to the mystery, the book had many of the hallmarks of "chick lit," including "witty wisecracks" and "dilly-brained friends," according to Rex E. Klett in Library Journal. The book was praised as a "playful debut," by a Publishers Weekly writer.

Sophie returns in a sequel, Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights, a book that "delivers on the promise of the first," according to a Publishers Weekly writer. In this mystery, Sophie's brother-in-law is found dead. Sophie had never liked him, and his death uncovers facts that bear out her worst suspicions about him. When Sophie's sister is targeted by police as a suspect, the mystery writer and her private-investigator love interest, Anatoly Darinsky, must try to find the real killer. BookLoons Web site reviewer Shannon Bigham stated that Davis's "wonderful sense of humor" is evident in this "frothy, fun read."

With her third book, Davis moves into new territory, outside the mystery genre. So Much for My Happy Ending is the story of Tad and April, and their unraveling relationship. April is overwhelmed when Tad, whom she has only known for a few months, proposes marriage, and she accepts. It is only after the marriage takes place that she begins to discover that Tad is secretive and changeable. Their story is "somber," and represents an "engaging departure" from Davis's earlier work, wrote Kristine Huntley in Booklist.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2005, Jenny McLarin, review of Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, p. 1519; June 1, 2006, Kristine Huntley, review of Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights, p. 43; November 1, 2006, Kristine Huntley, review of So Much for My Happy Ending, p. 34.

Library Journal, May 1, 2005, Rex E. Klett, review of Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, p. 65.

Publishers Weekly, April 11, 2005, review of Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, p. 34; March 20, 2006, review of Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights, p. 39.