Libby Fischer Hellmann is a highly acclaimed American crime writer, well-known for her Ellie Foreman Mysteries series and the Georgia Davis Mysteries series. She was born in Washington D.C., but has since made Chicago her home, where she sets almost all of her stories and novels. Hellmann is particularly recognized for her strong female characters and readable thrillers, which have earned her critical acclaim and a large international readership.
Hellmann began her writing career after leaving a career in broadcast news in Washington, D.C. and moving to Chicago. She started as an assistant film editor for NBC News in New York before transitioning to work with Robin McNeil and Jim Lehrer at N-PACT, the public affairs production arm of PBS. Later, she worked for public relations firm Burson-Marsteller in Chicago and founded Fischer Hellmann Communications in 1985. Hellmann earned a Master's Degree in Film Production from New York University and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to writing, she also produces videos and conducts speaker training programs in platform speaking, presentation skills, media training, and crisis communications.
Hellmann's first novel, "An Eye for Murder," was nominated for several awards and was described by Publisher's Weekly as "a masterful blend of politics, history, and suspense." She is known for her portrayal of strong female characters, and her novels have won widespread acclaim. Her Ellie Foreman series, which she describes as "a cross between Desperate Housewives and 24," features a video producer and single mother who appears in six novels. Hellmann has also written five standalone thrillers in diverse settings and historical periods, showcasing her versatility as a writer. Her historical fiction novels, including "Set the Night on Fire," "A Bitter Veil," "War, Spies, and Bobby Sox," and "Havana Lost," take place in different time periods, from the late 1960s to World War II.