Barbara Taylor Sissel writes issue oriented, upmarket women's fiction that is threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime affects the family. She is the author of nine novels, WHAT LIES BELOW, THE TRUTH WE BURY, FAULTLINES, CROOKED LITTLE LIES, SAFEKEEPING, EVIDENCE OF LIFE, THE VOLUNTEER, THE NINTH STEP AND THE LAST INNOCENT HOUR. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was raised in various locations across the US and once lived on the grounds of a first-offender prison facility, where her experience, interacting with the inmates and staff, provided a unique insight into the inmates' lives, the circumstances behind the crimes they committed, and the impact on the families that were affected. Her novels focus on the family at the heart of the crime. Barbara indulges her other passions, exploring, hiking, gardening, reading and stitching on and around the farm where she lives in the Texas Hill Country.