With his most recent novels, The School of Night, The Black Tower, The Pale Blue Eye and Mr. Timothy, Louis Bayard, in the words of the Washington Post, has ascended to "the upper reaches of the historical-thriller league." A New York Times Notable author, he has been nominated for both the Edgar® and Dagger awards and has been named one of People magazine's top authors of the year. The Pale Blue Eye has been optioned for a film to be directed by Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart").

Louis is also a nationally recognized essayist and critic whose articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, Salon, Ms., Nerve.com and Preservation. His other novels include Fool's Errand and Endangered Species (Alyson). He is a contributor to the anthologies The Worst Noël and Maybe Baby (HarperCollins) and 101 Damnations (St. Martin's). He also teaches creative writing at George Washington University.

Praise for Louis Bayard

"Louis Bayard is a writer of remarkable gifts: for language, for imagination, for that mysterious admixture of audacity and craftsmanship that signals a major talent in the making."
   —Joyce Carol Oates

"I can't wait to see what Bayard does next."
   —Laura Lippman

"Louis Bayard is at the forefront of literary historical fiction."
   —Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow