Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Jim Clemente was a member of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, an integral part of the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group. During his prosecutive and investigative careers, Clemente investigated hundreds of cases involving the sexual victimization of children and has consulted and assisted in the investigation and prosecution of thousands more. Since his retirement from the FBI, Clemente has served as co-founder and board Chair of XG Productions, Inc. He has also served as inspiration for and Writer/Producer of, one of Television's longest running prime time dramatic series, Criminal Minds. His audiobook, Bluebeard, based on real events surrounding Los Angeles's first known serial killer received rave reviews following its 2023 release.

Peter Crooks is the editor of Crime Ink. Previous to joining Penzler Publishers, he spent more than two decades as an editor and writer at Diablo magazine in the San Francisco Bay Area. His book, The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV exposed a spectacular police corruption scandal, and the story has been featured on This American Life, 48 Hours Mystery, and in an upcoming documentary from RAW TV.