Renée Patrick is a pseudonym used by a married couple, Rosemarie and Vince Keenan, who write historical mystery novels together. Both native New Yorkers, they currently reside in Seattle, Washington.
Rosemarie works as a research administrator and is also a poet, while Vince is a screenwriter, journalist, and has appeared on Turner Classic Movies, introducing movies on Noir Alley with host Eddie Muller. Their novels, written under the pen name Renée Patrick, feature Lillian Frost, a transplanted New Yorker with a love of movies and a single lousy screen test to her credit, and Edith Head, the real-life costume designer who was nominated for more Academy Awards than any other woman in history. Their books have been finalists for several awards, including the Agatha, Anthony, Left Coast Crime, and Macavity Awards.
Their novels, set in Hollywood's glamorous Golden Age, include "Design for Dying" (2016), which was featured on NPR's 2017 Summer Reading list, "Dangerous to Know" (2017), "Script for Scandal" (2019), and "The Sharpest Needle" (2020). In "Design for Dying," Lillian and Edith investigate a mystery that pits them against a Hungarian princess on the lam, a hotshot director on the make, and a private investigator who’s not on the level. In "Dangerous to Know," they search for a missing musician and find themselves embroiled in a scandal that extends from Paramount’s Bronson Gate to FDR’s Oval Office. In "Script for Scandal," as old murders spawn new ones, Lillian and Edith race to find the true story behind a script that claims Lillian's boyfriend masterminded the robbery that led to his partner's death. And in "The Sharpest Needle," Lillian and Edith assist Marion Davies when the actress receives poison pen letters highlighting an embarrassing event in her past.