People like Owen Laukkanen

Owen Laukkanen (born February 20, 1983) is a Canadian mystery writer, the creator of the Stevens and Windermere series. His first novel, The Professionals, was a finalist for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel at Bouchercon 2013, the annual World Mystery Convention. It was also listed as one of the top 100 novels of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews. Laukkanen lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Laukkanen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Windsor, Ontario. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing in 2006. After graduation, finding work proved to be a challenge. He even applied to work as a driver for an escort agency, thinking it might provide interesting material for a novel. Finally he came across an ad in Craigslist looking for a writer to report on the World Series of Poker.