Michael Capuzzo (born May 1, 1957) is an American journalist and author best known for his New York Times-bestselling nonfiction books The Murder Room and Close to Shore[1] He was formerly a reporter with the Miami Herald and the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he received four Pulitzer Prize nominations.[2] The Murder Room,[3][4] the true story of a private dining club of famous detectives who solve cold murders, and Close to Shore,[5][6] an historic thriller and recreation of the first American shark attack in World War I-era New Jersey, both enjoyed wide acclaim from critics and authors such as Gay Talese, Mark Bowden, John Sanford, and Michael Connelly.[citation needed]

Michael Capuzzo
Born (1957-05-01) May 1, 1957 (age 67)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationJournalist, author
NationalityAmerican
Education
Notable worksClose to Shore
Website
www.michaelcapuzzo.net

Capuzzo was born in Boston, Massachusetts[2] and raised in the Boston area before studied journalism at Northwestern University. He was a reporter with the Miami Herald for six years before joining the Philadelphia Inquirer where he worked from 1986 to 1994 before becoming a freelance writer. In 1997 he married Teresa Banik, a food critic for Philadelphia Magazine.[7][2] Formerly a resident of Wenonah, New Jersey, in 2004 Capuzzo and his wife relocated to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.[7] In 2006 he and his wife founded Mountain Home, a monthly magazine serving the Twin Tiers and New York Finger Lakes regions.[8][9][10] He earned an MFA in creative nonfiction from Goucher College in 2011, during which time he completed The Murder Room and was mentored by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas French.[10]

The Murder Room, published in a number of countries, was one of five finalists for The Golden Dagger Award for Non-Fiction given by the British Crime Writer's Association for the best true-crime book by any writer of any nationality published in England in 2010/2011.[11] A TV series based on the book was in development as of 2011, to be written by George Nolfi and produced by Carol Mendelsohn, of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.[8][12]

Capuzzo was interviewed several times on NPR about the book, including Fresh Air With Terry Gross, and the book was the subject of an ABC News prime-time one-hour special episode of 20/20 in September 2010. Capuzzo has appeared nationwide as a keynote speaker and at colleges talking about writing; at Rutgers University he taught Close to Shore as an honors colloquium, and the book was "The Big Read" at Coastal Carolina University.[1]

Works

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  • The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases (2010).
  • Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence (2002)
  • Mutts: America's Dogs (with Brian Kilcommons) (2001)
  • Cat Caught My Heart : Purrfect Tales of Wisdom, Hope, and Love (edited with Teresa Banik Capuzzo, 1999)
  • Our Best Friends : Wagging Tales to Warm the Heart (edited with Teresa Banik Capuzzo, 1999)
  • Wild Things: The Wacky and Wonderful Truth about the Animal Kingdom (1995)

References

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  1. ^ a b Strauss, Robert (November 4, 2001). "Worth Noting: Good Thing He Got His Licks In". The New York Times. Michael Capuzzo of Wenonah had a tremendous run this summer with his book Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence (Broadway Books), a detailed account of shark attacks at the Jersey shore in 1916.
  2. ^ a b c "Capuzzo, Michael 1957". Contemporary Authors. Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via Encyclopedia.com.
  3. ^ Review: Michael Capuzzo's 'Murder Room' belongs on the same shelf as David Simon's 'Homicide,' The St. Petersburg Times, Aug. 29, 2010
  4. ^ True crime review: Nonfiction story of Vidocq Society and its puzzling cases grab reader, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Aug. 8, 2010
  5. ^ Books Briefly Noted: Close to Shore, The New Yorker, July 9, 2001
  6. ^ Picks & Pans Review: Close to Shore, People magazine, June 25, 2001
  7. ^ a b Clarke, C. R. (September 1, 2004). "Nationally known author makes home in Wellsboro". Tioga Publishing. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  8. ^ a b "Clio Club welcomes mystery writer". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. November 10, 2013. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  9. ^ "About Us". Mountain Home Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Ollove, Michael (Winter 2012). "The Case of the Difficult Book" (PDF). Goucher Quarterly. Vol. XCVIII, no. 3. Goucher College. pp. 27–29.
  11. ^ The CWA Dagger Awards, Crime Writers Association web site, www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2011/non.html
  12. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (October 24, 2011). "'CSI's' Carol Mendelsohn Sells Projects to CBS, CW, FX". The Hollywood Reporter.
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