Deborah Crombie was born in Dallas, Texas on June 6, 1952. She received a degree in biology from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in advertising, as a journalist, and as a manufacturer's representative for theatre concessions. Her first book, A Share in Death, also became the first book in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novel series. She won the Mystery Readers International Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel for Dreaming of the Bones in 1997 and the Macavity Award for Best Novel for Where Memories Lie in 2009. In 2014 her title, To Dwell in Darkness, made The New York Times Best Seller List.