Retired Detective Sergeant Rick Reed was a member of the Evansville Police Department and Vanderburgh County Sheriff Department for 30 years.  He worked in the Criminal Investigations Unit until he made the mistake of getting promoted to Sergeant and was transferred to Internal Affairs.  During his career he served as a Crisis Management/Hostage Negotiator, and received that training from Dominic Missino who has trained negotiators all over the globe.  He also served as a handwriting expert, and received his training from the US Secret Service.

During his career in law enforcement he was lead investigator on numerous homicides, rapes and battery cases.  His acclaimed book, Blood Trail, is the true account of one of the homicides he investigated in 2000 that unearthed a serial killer who claimed fourteen victims.  In 2011, this killer strangled his cellmate and received another life sentence.  

From 2005 to 2011 he was an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice program at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana.  

His first serial killer-fiction book for Kensington Books is The Cruelest Cut, and introduces detective Jack Murphy and his partner, Liddell Blanchard, as they chase a serial killers through the streets of Evansville, Indiana.  The most recent release, The Coldest Fear, is the second in the Jack Murphy series.  The Coldest Fear was released in September 2011. 

In August, 2011, The Cruelest Cut was licensed to German publisher, Weltbild. It has been translated into German and released as an ebook and in paperback under the title TODLICHE SCHNITTE.  In January, 2012, The Cruelest Cut was licensed to Polish publisher Proszynski Media S.P. of Warsaw to be released in late 2013.  The Coldest Fear was licensed to German publisher, Weltbild and will be released as an ebook and paperback this year. 

Rick is putting the finishing touches on his next book, the third of the Jack Murphy series, titled FINAL JUSTICE.  Look for it to come out as an ebook, appearing on all computers and mobile devices near you.  

Rick moved to the San Francisco area in December 2011 where he is continuing the Jack Murphy series and working on his tan.