John Shannon

John Shannon is an American mystery fiction novelist best known for the Jack Liffey series of novels. The author was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1943, and over the years, he has become a celebrated author with his neo-noir fiction, which earned him critical acclaim. When he was just five years old, his family moved to California and settled in San Pedro, where he was raised alongside the children of fishermen and longshoremen. The son of a journalist who was also a lifelong pacifist, his storytelling aspirations and political consciousness can be attributed to his father. Shannon studied literature at Pomona College and then at UCLA, where he got an MFA in film. His time at UCLA was particularly instructive as he learned under former Hollywood story editor Marvin Borowski who schooled him on the complexities of plot structure. His work has been praised for its deep exploration of the diverse neighborhoods of Los Angeles as they combine a strong sense of social justice and progressive political themes with mystery.