Taylor Smith

Taylor Smith is a southern California transplant from Canada. After studies there and in France, she earned a Master's degree in International Affairs, then spent 12 years as a diplomat, intelligence analyst, and privy council officer. As a diplomt, she was a United Nations delegate specialising in human rights issues.

During a three-year posting to East Africa, she learned to speak Swahili, and scuba-dived with one of the resident CIA operatives. Working the Eastern European desk at headquarters, she covered Soviet satellite nations and dodged surveillance during fact-finding trips to the area. As a privy council advisor to the Prime Minister and cabinet, part of her duties included foreign intelligence liaison with the CIA and Britain's M16.

At the 1995 publication of her first novel, Guilt By Silence, Taylor Smith resigned from the privy council to pursue full-time fiction writing.

Reviewers called the story fast paced, gripping, and a stunning debut. She generally writes stand-alone rather than series fiction but, exceptionally, Guilt By Silence will be repackaged and re-released in anticipation of a hardcover sequel. The Innocent's Club, which reprised at popular request the character of Mariah Bolt, August 2000. Smith is also the author of the bestselling novels The Best of Enemies, Random Acts, and Common Passions.