​Photo credit: Matt Maxwell

Sherry Rankin grew up in New Jersey where she became an early and avid reader of mystery fiction. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and currently lives in Abilene, Texas where she has taught writing and literature at a local university for twenty years.

She has written scholarly articles and worked as an editorial consultant, manuscript reader and ghostwriter, but her avocation has always been creative writing.

Her novel, Strange Fire, was shortlisted for the 2017 Daniel Goldsmith First Novel Prize and won the 2017 CWA Debut Dagger Award.

Her debut thriller, The Killing Plains, was published by Thomas & Mercer as a super lead title in February 2025.
​

Praise for The Killing Plains, published in 2025

An original suspense thriller of a murder mystery with unexpected plot twists. The Killing Plains is an inherently fascinating and compulsive page turner of a read from start to finish.

-Midwest Book Review

[A] gritty, atmospheric mystery...

-Lesa Holstine,
​The Library Journal Review

Sherry Rankin’s “The Killing Plains” is a gripping and atmospheric novel that plunges readers into the heart of a desolate landscape where secrets and danger lurk beneath the surface. [...] A masterclass in suspense and storytelling.

-Reader Review

WOW. What an amazing read.

-Reader Review

I was blown away by how good this was. The characters were great and well developed. I consider myself well read and am good at picking out the villain, but this book had me changing my mind about “who did it” every chapter.

 -Reader Review