Sharkey, Joe 1946-

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SHARKEY, Joe 1946-

PERSONAL: Born October 15, 1946, in Philadelphia, PA; son of Joseph C. (an engineer) and Marcella (Welch) Sharkey; married Lynne White (a nurse), February 21, 1970 (divorced, 1984); married Nancy A. Albaugh (an editor), February 5, 1985; children: (first marriage) Lisa, Caroline, Christopher. Education: Pennsylvania State University, B.A., 1967.

ADDRESSES: Home—Glen Ridge, NJ. Agent—c/o Author Mail, St. Martin's Press, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, columnist, 1970–76; Philadelphia Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA, assistant city editor, 1976–81; Albany Times-Union, Albany, NY, executive city editor, 1981–84; Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, assistant national editor, 1984–89; freelance writer, 1989–.

AWARDS, HONORS: Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America.

WRITINGS:

Death Sentence, Signet (New York, NY), 1990.

Deadly Greed, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1991.

Above Suspicion, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1993.

Bedlam, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1994.

Gina, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Angela Amato) LadyGold (novel), St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1998.

Also author of Eagle Scout: Ross Perot and the New American Myth, St. Martin's. Author of book reviews for Newsday, 1993–95, and New York Times Book Review, 1995.

SIDELIGHTS: Joe Sharkey wrote several books on true crimes before collaborating with Angela Amato on the novel Lady Gold. Amato, a former detective for the New York City police department, brought her experience on the force to this story of a policewoman's unusual friendship with a tipster. Gerry Conte, the book's central character, is an ambitious 30-year-old who is determined to leave the police force and become an attorney. When she first meets Eugene Rossi, she feels contempt for the young criminal, who has promised to provide information about his uncle, a powerful mob boss. Slowly, Gerry's scorn for Eugene turns to sympathy, as she realizes he has been manipulated. Unexpectedly, Eugene shows concern for Gerry and gives her emotional support when she doubts herself. A Publishers Weekly review of Lady Gold found its plot unexciting, but praised it as "a fine portrayal of an honorable cop's workaday life," and credited the authors with being "adept at evoking places and mood." The reviewer concluded that Gerry's friendship with Eugene is "surprisingly moving." Lady Gold also won enthusiastic praise from Emily Melton, who in Booklist called the novel "funny, heart wrenching, gritty, and provocative."