Erin Hart is a highly acclaimed American author, best known for her Haunted Ground series which features Nora Gavin as the main protagonist. She was born in Crawfordsville but spent her formative years in Rochester. After completing her education at Saint Olaf College and the University of Minnesota, she pursued a variety of careers including music promotion, copywriting, editing, and theatre criticism. Currently, she resides in Minnesota with her husband, Paddy O'Brien.
Hart's literary work is predominantly focused on archaeological crime novels set in the enigmatic boglands of Ireland. Her debut novel, Haunted Ground, published in 2003, received significant critical acclaim. It was a Booksense 76 pick, won the Friends of American Writers award, and was shortlisted for Anthony and Agatha awards. The book was also translated into ten foreign languages. Her subsequent novels, Lake of Sorrows and False Mermaid, were also well-received, with the latter being named one of the top 100 crime novels of the decade. The Book of Killowen, her fourth novel in the series, was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award. Hart, who has a Master's degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota, is an active theatre critic and a founder of the Twin Cities Irish Music & Dance Association. She frequently travels to Ireland for research, immersing herself in the culture and landscapes that inspire her work.