Taichert, Pari Noskin 1958–

PERSONAL: Born 1958, in Albuquerque, NM.; married; children. Education: Attended Beloit College, WI; University of Michigan, B.A., 1975, M.S.W.; also attended Chinese University of Hong Kong.

ADDRESSES: Home—Albuquerque, NM. Agent—c/o Author Mail, University of New Mexico Press, 1601 Randolph Rd., S.E., Ste. 2006, Albuquerque, NM 87106. E-mail—ptaichert@comcast.net.

CAREER: Writer. Worked in public relations in corporate and nonprofit settings and as a consultant; previously worked at various jobs, including waitress, baker, research analyst, French teacher, textbook salesperson, and an immigration paralegal.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

The Clovis Incident, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 2004.

The Belen Hitch: A Sasha Solomon Mystery, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 2005.

Contributor to Web sites and periodicals, including the Albuquerque Tribune.

SIDELIGHTS: Pari Noskin Taichert worked for many years in public relations and dreamed of having a novel published. "I had this romantic notion that writers made big money and sat all day in cafes drinking espressos and thinking profound thoughts," the author writes on her home page. Publishers rejected Taichert's first two manuscripts, but the author finally made it with her third try, titled The Clovis Incident, in which she introduces her heroine, public relations professional Sasha Solomon. In her follow-up effort, The Belen Hitch: A Sasha Solomon Mystery, Sasha finds an old friend of her mother's dead. An autopsy reveals that the woman, a local controversial artist, died from poison gas, and Sasha sets out to find out who killed her. The artist's death may be connected to the intense squabbling of two factions over a former Harvey House restaurant. One group wants to transform the house into a tourist attraction while the other wants it established as an artists' gallery. Along with the mystery, the story includes the various ways in which Sasha tries to cope with some difficult relationships in her life. Writing in Booklist, Jenny McLarin called the novel a "mystery nicely spiced with local color." Library Journal contributor Rex E. Klett commented on the novel's "quirky heroine [and] off-the-wall humor."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2005, Jenny McLarin, review of The Belen Hitch: A Sasha Solomon Mystery, p. 37.

Library Journal, September 1, 2005, Rex E. Klett, review of The Belen Hitch, p. 121.

ONLINE

Bad Girls Press, http://thegreate-scape.com/badgirlspress/ (March 5, 2006), brief autobiography by author.

Pari Noskin Taichert Home Page, http://thegreate-scape.com/parinoskintaichert (March 5, 2006).

Pari Noskin Taichert Web log, http://www.murderati.typepad.com (April 18, 2006).