Alma Katsu author page

Alma Katsu biography

Alma Katsu is an American novelist who writes horror, historical fiction and espionage thrillers. Before publishing her first novel, she spent 35 years as a senior intelligence analyst for organisations including the CIA, NSA and RAND. She studied writing at Brandeis University and completed the master’s writing programme at Johns Hopkins University.

Her debut novel, The Taker, was published in 2011 and became the first book in a trilogy completed by The Reckoning and The Descent. She subsequently turned historical events into supernatural fiction in novels including The Hunger, The Deep and The Fervor. The Hunger, a reimagining of the Donner Party expedition, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker and Locus awards and was included in NPR’s selection of 100 favourite horror stories.

The Deep, published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 2020, combines the histories of the Titanic and its sister ship Britannic with a supernatural story. It follows maid Annie Hebbley aboard the Titanic and later as a nurse on the hospital ship Britannic, where events reconnect her with passenger Mark Fletcher.

Katsu drew directly on her intelligence background for the espionage novels Red Widow and Red London. Her historical horror novel The Fervor, set against the incarceration of Japanese Americans during the Second World War, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker, Locus and International Thriller Writers awards.

Her later novels include Fiend, published in 2025, and Incarnate, a contemporary reworking of The Picture of Dorian Gray involving deepfake technology and social media, published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons on 22 September 2026.