Alan Orloff

Alan Orloff was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Maryland. He had a varied and non-traditional career path before becoming a writer. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he worked on nuclear submarines, supervised assembly workers, and facilitated technology transfer from the Star Wars program. He also learned to stack washing machines three high in a warehouse with a forklift and started his own recycling and waste reduction newsletter business. Eventually, he settled on writing as his chosen profession.

Orloff's debut mystery novel, "Diamonds for the Dead," was published in 2010 and was a finalist for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. He has since written two books in the Last Laff mystery series, "Killer Routine" and "Deadly Campaign." Under the pen name Zak Allen, he has published three books: "The Taste," "First Time Killer," and "Ride-Along." Orloff's thriller "Running from the Past" was one of the initial Kindle Scout selections, and his novel "Pray for the Innocent" won the 2019 ITW Thriller Award for Best E-Book Original. His novel "I Know Where You Sleep" was a Shamus Award Finalist for Best First PI Novel.

In addition to his longer works, Orloff has also had great success with short fiction. His story "Rule Number One" was selected for the 2018 edition of The Best American Mystery Stories anthology, and his story "Dying in Dokesville" won a Derringer Award. His short story "Rent Due" won the 2021 ITW Thriller Award for Best Short Story. He loves arugula and cake, but not together. Orloff is active on social media and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.