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Thanh-Van Tran-Nhut and Kim Tran-Nhut (born in 1962 and 1963) are the authors of a series of historical crime novels set in 17th-century Viet-Nam and written in French, featuring a young investigator, Mandarin Tan.

Biography
The two sisters were born in Hue, Viet-Nam. In 1968 they moved to the U.S. with their parents. Three years later they moved again, this time to France, where they went through the French education system. After high school Thanh-Van returned to the U.S., earning a B.A. in Math and Physics from Whitman College and a B.S. en Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Meanwhile, Kim studied physics in France, graduating from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.

They started working together in 1999, writing detective novels whose main character, mandarin Tan, was inspired by their great-grand-father who had suceeded in the imperial examinations as a young man. The novels, set in a period of tumult for Viet-Nam, were quickly accepted by publisher Philippe Picquier. Several books from the series have been translated into German, Russian, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.

After a round-the-world trip in 2002, Thanh-Van continued the series solo, while Kim went on to write novels for young adults.

Thanh-Van was the 2014 French writer in residence at Randell Cottage in Wellington, New Zealand. This residency is a partnership between the Embassy of France, the Randell Cottage Trust, the New Zealand-France Friendship Fund and Creative New Zealand. Her novel Kawekaweau (Au Vent des Iles, 2017) is the outcome of her residency at Randell Cottage.

Mandarin Tan series / Les enquêtes du mandarin Tân

 * 1) Le Temple de la Grue écarlate (Picquier, 1999)
 * 2) L'Ombre du prince (Picquier, 2000)
 * 3) La Poudre noire de Maître Hou - plot by Thanh-Van and Kim, written by Thanh-Van (Picquier, 2001)
 * 4) L'Aile d'airain - Thanh-Van (Picquier, 2003)
 * 5) L'Esprit de la renarde - Thanh-Van (Picquier, 2005)
 * 6) Les Travers du docteur Porc - Thanh-Van (Picquier, 2007) ; prix Lion Noir 2008
 * 7) Le Banquet de la Licorne - Thanh-Van (Picquier, 2009)
 * 8) Les Corbeaux de la Mi-Automne - Thanh-Van (Picquier, 2011); prix Thierry Jonquet 2011

Published works of Thanh-Van Tran-Nhut

 * In memoriam. In PRILLEUX, Frédéric (dir.). RDV au pied de la statue : collection of short stories, La Noiraude-La Fureur du Noir. Dinan : Terre de Brume, November 2007. (Granit noir ; N° 43).
 * Le Palais du Mandarin (NiL éditions, collection Exquis d'écrivains, 2009)
 * La Femme dans le miroir (Robert Laffont, 2010)
 * Kawekaweau (Au Vent des Iles, 2017)

Published works of Kim Tran-Nhut

 * Imbroglius (Magnard, 2004)
 * Le Baiser de l'Altérion (Magnard, 2006)