Peltonen, Carla

(Lynn Erickson, a joint pseudonym)

PERSONAL: Daughter of Jerome B. (an aviation engineer) and Leona (Shenker) Friedenberg; married Erik Peltonen; children: two. Education: University of Rochester, NY, graduate, 1964. Hobbies and other interests: Skiing, horseback riding.

ADDRESSES: Home—798 Mountain Laurel Dr., Aspen, CO 81611. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Berkley Books, Penguin Group Publicity, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Author of romantic suspense novels and historical romances.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS; WITH MOLLY SWANTON UNDER JOINT PSEUDONYM LYNN ERICKSON

This Raging Flower, Richard Gallen Books/Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1980.

Sweet Nemesis, Richard Gallen Books/Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1980.

The Silver Kiss, Richard Gallen Books/Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1981.

Gentle Betrayer, Richard Gallen Books/Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1982.

Woman of San Francisco, Dell (New York, NY), 1982.

High Country Pride, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1982.

Dawnfire, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1984.

Snowbird, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1984.

Lilacs, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1985.

Some Distant Shore, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1985.

Faces of Dawn, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1985.

A Chance Worth Taking, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1985.

Arena of Fear, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1986.

Stormswept, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1986.

A Dangerous Sentiment, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1986.

Tangled Dreams, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1987.

A Perfect Gem, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1987.

Fool's Gold, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1988.

Firecloud, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1988.

Shadow on the Sun, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1989.

In from the Cold, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1989.

The Touchstone, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1989.

West of the Sun, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1990.

The Northern Light, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Silver Lady, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1991.

A Wing and a Prayer, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Paradox, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Wildfire, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1993.

The Last Buccaneer, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Dancing in the Dark, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Laurel and the Lawman, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Aspen, Mira (New York, NY), 1995.

Out of the Darkness, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Apache Springs, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1995.

The Baby Contract, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Night Whispers, Mira (New York, NY), 1997.

(With Linda Randall Wisdom and Debbi Bedford) Rocky Mountain Men, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Upon a Midnight Clear, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1997.

The Eleventh Hour, Mira (New York, NY), 1998.

Child of Mine, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1998.

The Ripple Effect, Mira (New York, NY), 1999.

Courting Callie, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Searching for Sarah, Jove (New York, NY), 1999.

The Ranger and the Widow, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2000.

On Thin Ice, Jove (New York, NY), 2000.

The Clouds of Suspicion, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Fugitive Mom, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Agent, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2002.

On the Edge, Berkley (New York, NY), 2002.

In the Cold, Berkley (New York, NY), 2003.

Without a Trace, Berkley (New York, NY), 2003.

After Hours, Berkley (New York, NY), 2004.

Husband and Lover, Berkley (New York, NY), 2004.

Works have been translated into more than seventeen languages.

SIDELIGHTS: Carla Peltonen and Molly Swanton write under the joint pseudonym Lynn Erickson. Since 1980 they have created more than fifty novels together, beginning with historical romances, but concentrating throughout most of their works on women's suspense novels, including murder mysteries, courtroom dramas, and psychological thrillers. Their books combine danger, action, brooding heroes, and feisty heroines. Most of them are set in the authors' hometown, Aspen, or in other settings in Colorado. "We've set almost all of our books in Colorado, especially Aspen, a town where the truth is usually stranger than fiction," the authors noted on the Official Lynn Erickson Home Page. "Aspen is a character in our books, not just a setting."

Peltonen and Swanton met in the late 1960s, discovered a shared love of reading, and by the 1970s had determined that they could do better than the authors of most of the romance novels they were reading. "Our early books were historical romances, full of blood and guts and murder," the authors noted on their joint Web site. The first of these was This Raging Flower. However, soon they turned their hands to women's suspense. During their career they have dealt with themes ranging from illegal adoption to vigilante justice to a stalker with multiple personality disorder.

In the 1998 title The Eleventh Hour, the authors deal with the death penalty in their tale of convicted wife-killer Jack Devlin, a successful Aspen architect. He is represented by attorney Eve Marchand, who has made a name for herself in delaying implementation of the death penalty on her clients. Soon Eve is more than Jack's lawyer; she is falling in love with him. Writing in the Mystery Reader Online Susan Scribner called The Eleventh Hour a "stirring indictment of the death penalty and a plea for this nation to stop its policy of legal murder." Scribner went on to note that "this somber novel is compelling in its own way but the romance is not its strong point."

The death of a presidential hopeful in a Denver hotel is the focus of Searching for Sarah. The protagonist in this novel is deputy district attorney Jake Savelle, who tries to track potential witnesses to the murder, one of whom is the elusive Sarah Jamison, a ski instructor in Aspen. As Jake falls for this witness, the plot threads gather, and soon the pair's lives are in danger as well. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly observed that the novel "builds suspense by expertly weaving romance into multiple thrilling story lines."

On the Edge features Meredith Greene, a psychologist who feels guilty that one of her clients whom she treated for acrophobia has died in a mountain-climbing accident. The leader of the climbing expedition, a mysterious Norwegian, gets close to Meredith, but events ultimately prove him to be a man with a shady double life. A contributor for Publishers Weekly felt that the protagonist "is little more than a cipher who gets swept up in events beyond her control." However, Booklist reviewer Patty Engelmann noted that this "suspenseful romance takes readers into the dangerous world of mountain climbing and makes the trip worthwhile."

In After Hours, lead character Portia Wells is the daughter of a famous actress and a diplomat father who chucks the limelight to settle down on a Colorado ranch and involve herself in environmental issues together with her husband. However, when her husband dies, Portia is convinced it is murder. Later, back in New York, she tries to convince New York Police Department detective Nick Sinestra that this is the case. Sinestra ultimately follows Portia to Colorado, where he begins to see the truth in her assertions and also begins to fall for the widow. Writing in Booklist, Patty Engelmann noted that the book's "flawed and likable characters make this an enjoyable romance."

More suspense and love is served up in Husband and Lover, in which the husband of Aspen deputy district attorney Julia Innes is arrested for the murder of his first wife a dozen years earlier. Julia is convinced her husband is innocent and employs a Denver attorney and a former Denver detective to get to the bottom of the case. However, when Julia and the detective begin to feel a mutual attraction, things get even more complicated in this "topnotch romantic suspense," as Patty Engelmann described the novel in Booklist.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2002, Patty Engelmann, review of On the Edge, p. 1694; July, 2004, Patty Engelmann, review of After Hours, p. 1826; December 15, 2004, Patty Engelmann, review of Husband and Lover, p. 713.

Publishers Weekly, November 29, 1999, review of Searching for Sarah, p. 57; June 17, 2002, review of On the Edge, p. 49; November 1, 2004, review of Husband and Lover, p. 49.

ONLINE

AllReaders.com, http://www.allreaders.com/ (March 29, 2005), Harriet Klausner, reviews of Husband and Lover, After Hours, In the Cold, On the Edge, and Without a Trace.

Berkley Jove Authors Web site, http://berkleyjoveauthors.com/ (March 28, 2005), "Lynn Erickson."

Mystery Reader Online, http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (March 28, 2005), Susan Scribner, review of The Eleventh Hour.

Official Lynn Erickson Home Page, http://www.lynnerickson.com (March 28, 2005).

Rochester Review Online, http://www.rochester.edu/ (March 28, 2005), "Lynn Erickson."