Lia Matera

Lia Matera (born 1952) is a Canadian author of two series of mystery novels and short stories.

Biography
Matera was born in 1952 in Canada. She graduated from Hastings College of Law in 1981. She was a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School in the early 1980s. She lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Matera is known for the Willa Jansson series and the Laura Di Palma series.

Critical reception
Two of Matera's works have received starred reviews from Booklist: Face Value (Simon & Schuster, 1994) and Last Chants (Simon & Schuster, 1996).

Awards

 * Anthony and Macavity Award nominations, 1990, for The Good Fight
 * Edgar Award nomination, 1991, for Prior Convictions
 * Edgar Award and Anthony Award nominations, 1991, for A Radical Departure
 * Anthony Award and Macavity Award nominations, 1991, for Where Lawyers Fear to Tread
 * Shamus Award for Best Short Story, 1996, for "Dead Drunk"

Willa Jansson series

 * 1) Where Lawyers Fear to Tread, Bantam, 1987.
 * 2) A Radical Departure, Bantam, 1988.
 * 3) Hidden Agenda, Bantam, 1988.
 * 4) Prior Convictions, Simon & Schuster, 1991.
 * 5) Last Chants, Simon & Schuster, 1996.
 * 6) Star Witness, Simon & Schuster, 1997.
 * 7) Havana Twist, Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Laura DiPalma series

 * 1) The Smart Money, Bantam, 1988.
 * 2) The Good Fight, Simon & Schuster, 1990.
 * 3) A Hard Bargain, Simon & Schuster, 1992.
 * 4) Face Value, Simon & Schuster, 1994.
 * 5) Designer Crimes, Simon & Schuster, 1995.

As contributor

 * (Editor) Irreconcilable Differences, HarperCollins, 1999.
 * Counsel for the Defense and Other Stories, Five Star, 2000.
 * Edgar and Shamus Go Golden. Down & Out Books, 2022.