Isa Abdus-Salaam

A lifelong Seattleite, Isa Abdus-Salaam is the author of A Catan-Strophic Murder, the first Milo Varela Mystery — a cozy mystery set in the tight-knit tabletop-gaming scene of Ballard, Seattle. When the reigning champion of the neighborhood Catan tournament dies at the table, still catching his breath from the win, the Brewpub regular who's spent two years watching from his usual corner booth has to trade quiet observation for actually getting involved. Isa has been a lifelong reader of mysteries, from the lighter pleasures of M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin and T. A. Williams' Armstrong and Oscar to the genre's classics like Murder on the Orient Express, The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep — and a lifelong player of all manner of role-playing games. Milo Varela, and the Brewpub he can't stay away from, grew out of both a character Isa had been developing for nearly a decade, finally paired with a setting he knows well. He writes for readers who want a mystery that unfolds like a good game night: a puzzle worth working out, a table full of familiar faces, and humor that leaves you smiling rather than a story that leaves you shaken by graphic violence. He hopes you'll leave feeling like an adopted member of Ballard's quirky little world — and maybe reluctant to leave it behind. Away from writing, Isa is happily married to Nurlailah, father to Layla and Luqman, grandfather to Luis (thirteen now, and already too sharp to let him win at anything), son to Jacqueline and brother to Rod — the two people who never stopped believing in him. For Isa, storytelling is an invitation to be curious: to follow the characters, examine the clues, explore the possibilities, and see where the story leads.