C.M. Palov was born in Washington DC and decided to put a love of action-adventure flicks, a degree in Art History, and an obsession with biblical conspiracy theory to good use. The result was her debut novel ARK OF FIRE, an esoteric thriller in which a museum photographer witnesses a brutal murder and the theft of an ancient Hebrew artifact. On the run, the cops in on the murder, she joins forces with a former MI5 intelligence officer. Together they must solve a series of puzzles embedded in verse, stained glass, and cyber space as they attempt to stop a sinister army of mercenaries from obtaining the ultimate weapon of mass destruction -- the Ark of the Covenant. ARK OF FIRE was released in the UK and the US in 2009. The sequel THE HERETIC'S TALE was due out in 2010.