Tod Goldberg is a highly acclaimed American author, best known for his mystery and fiction novels. He has written over a dozen books and one novel series, with many of them becoming bestsellers. Goldberg was born on January 10, 1971, in Berkeley, California, and belongs to the Jewish community. He completed his school education at Palm Springs High School and went on to graduate from California State University in Northridge. Later, he earned his master's degree in creative writing from Bennington College in 2009.
Goldberg's writing career took off with his second novel, Living Dead Girl, which was nominated for an LA Times Book Prize in 2003 and featured as one of January Magazine's top books of 2002. His third book, a collection of stories he wrote in the past ten years, received excellent reviews from numerous critics and publications. The book was initially published by Other Voices' publishing arm, OV Books, and was named as a finalist for the 2006 Booksellers of California Association Award. In addition to his fiction novels, Goldberg has also written a short story collection called Other Resort Cities, which was released in 2009 and received wide acclaim.
Goldberg's work has been widely recognized and honored, with several of his books becoming bestsellers and finalists for prestigious awards. His novel Gangsterland was a finalist for the 2015 Hammett Prize, and his book The House of Secrets, which he co-authored with author Brad Meltzer, was another bestseller. Goldberg's writing has also appeared in numerous anthologies, including Palm Springs Noir, Las Vegas Noir, The Usual Santas, and Best American Mystery & Suspense. His nonfiction work has been published widely in outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal, as well as in Best American Essays.
In addition to his work as an author, Goldberg is also a professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, where he founded and directs the Low Residency MFA program in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts. He is also the co-host of the popular podcast Literary Disco, along with Rider Strong and Julia Pistell. Goldberg's next book, Gangsters Don't Die, was released in fall 2023.