Since childhood, I have had a passion for true crime, beginning with wanting to become Nancy Drew, my fictional heroine. I never veered off course, including interviewing gangster Mickey Cohen for my junior-high school journalism class to the horror of my teacher. Combining my interest in crime, writing, and reading "behind the scenes" narratives such as Kitchen Confidential, I always knew that I was looking to write my own insider story. It finally dawned on me after being a judge for awhile that this was the perfect subject on which to draw back the curtain. So many people have asked me over the years, "How smart do you have to be to become a judge?" or "What do judges wear under their robes", that it was finally time for me to answer those pressing questions. I attended UCLA and UC Davis law schools. Beginning my career as a deputy public defender, I've experienced the criminal justice system from every angle (other than being arrested), both prosecuting and defending complex murders such as the "Hillside Strangler" case in Los Angeles, becoming the first LAPD inspector general overseeing their disciplinary system, and, as a Superior Court judge, spending nineteen years overseeing a felony trial courtroom in downtown Los Angeles. I am also the co-author of Fallen Angels, Chronicles of Los Angeles Crime and Mystery (Facts on File, NY, 1986); Rotten Apples, True Stories of New York Crime and Mystery, (Ballantine, NY, 1991); and Perfect Crimes, (Ballantine, NY, 1995). I've written countless articles for legal magazines as well as op-ed pieces and two personal essays for Los Angeles Sunday Times Magazine. Additionally, I served as the editor of California's state-wide judge's magazine, The Bench, from 2014 to 2017. I live with my husband, Norman, near Los Angeles, California, and have raised three adult children.