Neely Tucker is an accomplished American author and journalist, best known for his work with The Washington Post and his Sully Carter series of books. Tucker was born in Lexington, Mississippi, in 1963 and was raised by his parents, Duane and Elizabeth Tucker. He has a younger brother named Duane Jr.
Before becoming a journalist and author, Tucker worked as a foreign correspondent in Zimbabwe. It was during this time that he met his wife, Vita, and the couple adopted a child from the country. Tucker currently resides on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., with his family, where he enjoys following sports and is a fan of the New Orlean Saints and Mississippi State.
In addition to his work as a journalist, Tucker is the author of the Sully Carter series, which includes "Only the Hunted Run," as well as "The Ways of the Dead" and "Murder, D.C." He is also the author of the autobiographical book "Love in the Driest Season." His writing has been praised for its ability to bring the streets of Washington, D.C. to life, and his novels have been compared to the work of Elmore Leonard and Pete Hamill. Tucker's work has been published in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Brazil.
Tucker's latest novel, "Only the Hunted Run," follows the character of Sully, a reporter who becomes the only surviving witness to a shooting in the Capitol building. The novel is based on a real-life shooting that took place in 1997 and follows Sully as he is pursued by the shooter. The novel is the third in the Sully Carter series and follows "The Ways of the Dead" and "Murder, D.C." Tucker's previous novels have received extensive praise, with the Daily Mail (U.K.) dubbing "Murder" one of the Best Three Crime Novels of 2015. Kirkus has said of Tucker's work, "There’s no more satisfying sight than a writer who knows exactly what he’s doing—and only gets better at what he does.” The Miami Herald has also praised Tucker's writing, calling his first novel "an exciting... novel that echoes the best writing of Pete Hamill and George Pelecanos, mixed with a bit of The Wire and True Detective.”
Tucker is currently employed as a journalist with The Washington Post, where he writes for the Style section. In his free time, he enjoys developing the plots of his mystery books. His memoir "Love in the Driest Season" was named one of the Top 25 Books of 2004 by Publishers Weekly, and has been optioned for film development in Los Angeles.