Stuart M. Kaminsky is the author of more than 50 published books and 35 short stories. In 2006, he was named the Mystery Writers of America "Grand Master," joining the ranks of such legendary writers as Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Robert Parker, and Ellery Queen. That same year, he also received the John D. MacDonald Award for Excellence in Writing at the annual John D. MacDonald Conference in Sarasota, Florida.

Kaminsky's books include mystery novels, five biographies, and four textbooks on film history, filmmaking, and scriptwriting. His novels, which have been translated into 12 languages, include the Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov novels, one of which, A Cold Red Sunrise, won the Edgar Award of the Mystery Writers of America for best mystery novel of 1989. The novel also won the Prix Du Roman D'Aventure for the best mystery novel published in France in 1990. His 1983 novel Black Knight in Red Square, also a Rostnikov novel, was nominated for an Edgar as the best original paperback. Kaminsky also writes the popular Toby Peters mysteries set primarily in Los Angeles in the 1940's, the Abraham Lieberman series set in contemporary Chicago, and the Lew Fonesca series set in Sarasota. His 1991 Toby Peters novel Poor Butterfly was nominated for a Shamus Award. He has written two original Rockford Files novels, The Green Bottle and Devil On My Doorstep, and two CSI: NY novels, including 2006's Blood on the Sun.

His short story, "Punishment," set in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1866, was named one of the 12 Best Mystery and Suspense Stories of 1992 in the prestigious annual Walker Brother selections. His story "Find Miriam" was selected for inclusion in Sue Grafton's Best Mystery Stories of 1997 and two of his short stories have been printed in Martin Greenberg & Ed Gorman's Best Mystery Stories of 1997. His short stories have appeared in many anthologies including Mean Streets, Funny Bones, Guilty as Charged and Dark Love and in magazines as diverse as Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, New Mexico Quarterly, The Wooster Review, New Mystery, and Mary Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine.

Kaminsky wrote the dialogue for the Sergio Leone film Once Upon a Time in America, which starred Robert DeNiro. He wrote the screenplay for A Woman in the Wind, starring Colleen Dewhurst and Jay O. Sanders, and the screenplay Enemy Territory, which starred Gary Frank and Jan-Michael Vincent.

Kaminsky holds a B.S. in Journalism and Communications and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech (Film/Television/Theater) from Northwestern University where he taught in and chaired the Department of Radio/Television/Film before moving on to Florida State University, where he was a Professor of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts. He is also a past president of the Mystery Writers of America.

Kaminsky, who was born in and grew up in Chicago, worked for UPI and the Hollister Press covering various events including politics and the police. He has written for a variety of publications including The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Magazine, Science Digest, Today's Health, The National Catholic Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Washington Post. Before earning his Ph.D., he worked as a public relations writer and editor for a number of universities including the University of Illinois, The University of Michigan, and The University Chicago where he was Director of Public Relations.

Since 1998, Kaminsky has been a member of the Libertarian Party. He told January Magazine (August 2002): "I am a Libertarian. I'd describe my joining the party as a gradual change coming from beliefs that began to form when I was a boy. I started out as a Democrat like my parents, even campaigned for Ted Kennedy for president; moved to being a [William F.] Buckley conservative; and a decade ago found that I agreed with almost everything the Libertarian Party stands for. Basically, I believe in the maximum freedom for individual Americans and the minimal intrusion of government, local or national."

Quotable

"I am a Libertarian. Basically, I believe in the maximum freedom for individual Americans and the minimal intrusion of government, local or national." --Stuart M. Kaminsky in January Magazine (August 2002)