Davis, Nageeba

PERSONAL: Female.

ADDRESSES: Home—Colorado Springs, CO. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Berkeley Prime Crime Publicity, Penguin Group, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014. E-mail—ndavis@d20.co.edu.

CAREER: Writer and educator. Antelope Trails Elementary School, Colorado Springs, CO, coordinator of International Baccalaureate program.

WRITINGS:

A Dying Art (mystery fiction), Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2001.

An Opening for Murder (mystery fiction), Berkley Prime Crime (New York, NY), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: Nageeba Davis began her writing career reaching out to children and teens. After conceiving an idea about a unique crime scene, Davis was inspired to write a novel for adults. The resulting novel, A Dying Art, introduces protagonist Maggie Kean, a sculptor and art teacher who finds herself embroiled in a family inheritance dispute after her wealthy neighbor is killed. Harriet Klausner, a contributor to Allreaders.com, described A Dying Art as "a brilliant debut mystery…. [Davis] must return with a second tale starring the magnificently mouthy Maggie." Toby Bromberg predicted, on the Romantic Times Book Club Web site, that "Nageeba Davis is going to win lots of fans with A Dying Art.

An Opening for Murder is Davis's second installment in the Maggie Kean series and follows the heroine as she attempts to ascertain who killed a board member of the art gallery in which she is holding her first show, all while growing closer romantically to detective Sam Villari. A Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote, "Davis has expertly constructed a suitably puzzling plot." Harriet Klausner, in a review of An Opening for Murder for Allreaders.com, called the book "a well-crafted who-done-it." She continued, "The various sub-plots tie seamlessly into the main story line."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Publishers Weekly, June 25, 2001, review of A Dying Art, p. 54; June 24, 2002, review of An Opening for Murder, p. 43.

ONLINE

Allreaders.com, http://www.allreaders.com/ (March 18, 2006), Harriet Klausner, reviews of A Dying Art and An Opening for Murder.

Mystery Writers of American Rocky Mountain Chapter, http://www.rockymountainmysterywriters.com/ (March 18, 2006), author profile.

Romantic Times Book Club Online, http://www.romantictimes.com/ (March 18, 2006), Toby Bromberg, review of A Dying Art.