MARSHALL, Evan 1956-

PERSONAL: Born 1956; married Martha Jewett (a literary agent and consultant); children: two sons. Education: Boston College, B.A.; attended Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—Six Tristam Place, Pine Brook, NJ 07058-9445. E-mail—evanmarshall@TheNovelist. com.

CAREER: Evan Marshall Agency, founder and president. Formerly, Sterling Lord Agency, literary agent; Dodd, Mead, senior editor. Sutton Press, founding partner. Former book editor at Houghton Mifflin, New American Library, and Everest House.

MEMBER: Association of Authors' Representatives, Mystery Writers of America, American Crime Writers League, and Sisters in Crime.

AWARDS, HONORS: Agent of the Year, Romance Writers of America, New York City chapter, 2001.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

Eye Language: Understanding the Eloquent Eye, New Trend (New York, NY), 1983.

The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, Writer's Digest Books (Cincinnati, OH), 1998.

The Marshall Plan Workbook: Writing Your Novel fromStart to Finish, Writer's Digest Books (Cincinnati, OH), 2001.

The Eyes Have It: Revealing Their Power, Messages, and Secrets, Citadel Press (New York, NY), 2003.

The Marshall Plan for Getting Your Novel Published:Ninety Strategies and Techniques for Selling Your Fiction, Writer's Digest Books (Cincinnati, OH), 2003.

"JANE STUART AND WINKY" MYSTERY SERIES

Missing Marlene, Kensington (New York, NY), 1999.

Hanging Hannah, Kensington (New York, NY), 2000.

Stabbing Stephanie, Kensington (New York, NY), 2001.

Icing Ivy, Kensington (New York, NY), 2002.

Toasting Tina, Kensington (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor of articles on writing and publishing to Writer's Digest and other magazines.

SIDELIGHTS: A former book editor, Evan Marshall is founder and president of the Evan Marshall Agency, a literary agency that represents fiction writers. He is the author of the "Jane Stuart and Winky" mystery series novels.

Marshall's first novel is also the first in the "Jane Stuart and Winky" mystery series. In Missing Marlene Jane and Winky (her cat) are investigating a disappearance of Jane's son's nanny, Marlene. Marlene's mother doesn't know where she is, and the police assume she ran away. Jane begins her investigation and finds that Marlene had a secret life, including a violent boyfriend, secret videos, and a police record. Jane suspects foul play and sets out to find the killer. Mystery Reader contributor Andy Plonka concluded, "Evan Marshall's first book delivers an entertaining read with clever plotting that bodes well for future books in the new series."

Marshall's second book in the series is Hanging Hannah. In it, Jane throws a birthday party for her son at the local inn, Hydrangea House. Much to her horror, her son finds the body of a young woman hanging from a tree behind the inn. Soon after that a book editor is found dead, and one of Jane's new clients is murdered. Jane is concerned about the murders and begins her investigation before more people close to her are murdered. Charlotte Austin Review contributor P. J. Nunn commented, "Marshall once again effectively transcends genre borders to deliver a gripping tale of murder and suspense."

In Stabbing Stephanie Jane decides to take a vacation, but is sidetracked by a phone call from her late husband's unlikable cousin Stephanie. She tells Jane that she is moving to Shady Hills, New Jersey, where Jane lives, to take a job at the book publisher Carson & Hart. Soon after beginning her new position Stephanie is found dead in a dumpster. Jane gets involved and begins investigating the murder. Readers Read contributor Claire E. White noted, "If you haven't yet made the acquaintance of Jane, Winky, and the inhabitants of Shady Hills, New Jersey, by all means do so. You won't be disappointed."

In Icing Ivy Jane and Ivy were best friends until Ivy's daughter, Marlene, was murdered while she was working as Jane's nanny. Anxious to put the past behind them, Ivy begs Jane to take her with her on a trip to the mountains where Jane is holding a writer's retreat. Jane reluctantly agrees and much to her surprise, Ivy brings along her new boyfriend, Johnny, whom Jane thinks is hiding something. Soon Ivy is found murdered and Johnny has disappeared. Jane is immediately on the case to find the killer. Books 'n' Bytes contributor Harriet Klausner claimed, "Evan Marshall has written a fiendishly clever who-done-it, one that the heroine and the audience will work hard to figure out."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

AB Bookman's Weekly, September 20, 1999, Henry Wessells, review of Missing Marlene, p. 379.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 1999, review of Missing Marlene, p. 677; March 15, 2001, review of Hanging Hannah, p. 340; February 15, 2001, review of Stabbing Stephanie, p. 218; September 15, 2002, review of Icing Ivy, p. 1356.

Library Journal, June 1, 1999, Rex E. Klett, review of Missing Marlene, p. 184; April 1, 2000, Rex E. Klett, review of Hanging Hannah, p. 135; March 1, 2001, Lisa J. Cihlar, review of The Marshall Plan for Getting Your Novel Published: Ninety Strategies and Techniques for Selling Your Fiction, p. 110; November 1, 2002, Rex E. Klett, review of Icing Ivy, p. 133; November 1, 2003, Rex E. Klett, review of Toasting Tina, p. 128.

Publishers Weekly, April 26, 1999, review of MissingMarlene, p. 58; April 24, 2000, review of Hanging Hannah, p. 65; April 2, 2001, review of Stabbing Stephanie, p. 42; October 21, 2002, review of Icing Ivy, p. 58; October 13, 2003, review of Toasting Tina, p. 61.

ONLINE

Books 'n' Bytes,http://www.booksnbytes.com/ (January 27, 2003), Harriet Klausner, reviews of Stabbing Stephanie, Hanging Hannah, and Icing Ivy.

Charlotte Austin Review,http://collection.nlc-bnc.ca/ (January 27, 2003), P. J. Nunn, review of Hanging Hannah; Susan McBride, review of Missing Marlene.

Crescent Blues Book Views,http://www.crescentblues.com/ (January 27, 2003), Patricia Lucas White, review of Stabbing Stephanie; Dawn Goldsmith, review of Hanging Hannah; Patricia White, review of Missing Marlene.

Evan Marshall Home Page,http://www.thenovelist.com/ (January 27, 2003), "About Evan Marshall."

Murder Express,http://www.murderexpress.net/ (January 27, 2003), review of Icing Ivy.

My Shelf,http://www.myshelf.com/ (January 27, 2003), Brenda Weaks, review of Missing Marlene.

Mystery Reader,http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (January 27, 2003), K.W. Becker, review of Hanging Hannah; Andy Plonka, review of Missing Marlene.

Over My Dead Body,http://overmydeadbody.com/ (January 27, 2003), S. E. Warwick, review of Missing Marlene.

Readers Read,http://www.readersread.com/ (January 27, 2003), Clair E. White, review of Stabbing Stephanie.

Romance Reader's Connection,http://www.theromancereadersconnection.com/ (January 27, 2003), Tracy Farnsworth, reviews of Stabbing Stephanie, Hanging Hannah, and Missing Marlene.

Writers Write,http://www.writerswrite.com/ (January 27, 2003), Claire E. White, "A Conversation with Evan Marshall," and reviews of Hanging Hannah and Missing Marlene.