Paul Martin called on his years as an editor in the nation’s capital to create his seventh novel, Murder at National Geographic. The story is set in 1965, a banner year for the National Geographic Society. The respected Washington institution’s first-ever television special is scheduled to air in the fall, and an exciting new exhibit, “Headhunters of the Amazon,” will soon open in the Society’s museum, Explorers Hall. However, just as the city’s famous cherry trees burst into bloom, tragedy strikes. A senior member of the editorial staff—a talented but unpopular woman—is found murdered in her office in the Society’s swank new headquarters. Most startling of all is the way she was killed.

Paul’s previous novel, Impossible Journey, offers an imaginative new account of America’s greatest adventure story—the Lewis and Clark expedition, with an added twist of mystery. Three earlier historical novels include Summer of Love, a mystery set in California and Vietnam in 1967, a tumultuous era of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, played out against the backdrop of a divisive war; Dance of the Millions, a tale of voodoo-inspired killings in post–WWI Cuba, when soaring sugar prices created overnight millionaires and Americans flocked to the island to escape Prohibition; and Killin’ Floor Blues, a story that takes place in the bleak years of the Great Depression, when a serial killer stalks Robert Johnson, Ma Rainey, and other pioneer blues icons. Paul’s other novels are Lost in Saigon, a story that grew out of his service in Vietnam, and Far Haven, a time-travel thriller set in a dystopian future America and plague-ridden 14th-century England.

Paul’s nonfiction includes a trio of biographical collections profiling a hundred fascinating but little-known men and women. Secret Heroes portrays some of the most inspiring unsung Americans. Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues depicts a startling roster of American ne’er-do-wells. And American Trailblazers chronicles individuals who performed some unique original feat that’s been overlooked. Three additional nonfiction books are associated with National Geographic—Land of the Ascending Dragon, Messengers to the Brain, and Science: It’s Changing Your World. Paul has also written two privately published works, a chapbook of poetry and a compilation of articles and recollections from throughout his journalism career.

Contact: paul@paulmartinbooks.com

Fiction

Nonfiction