Libby Fischer Hellmann

Follow to get new release updates and improved recommendations

About Libby Fischer Hellmann

Libby Fischer Hellmann is a critically acclaimed crime writer loved by readers the world over for her compulsively readable thrillers and strong female characters. Her fast-paced crime fiction spans 17 novels and 25 short stories. She also writes historical fiction stand-alones and edited the evergreen crime fiction anthology CHICAGO BLUES. DOUBLEBLIND, her newest PI Georgia Davis thriller, #6 in the series, was released in March, 2022.

With critics describing her work as "masterful" and "meticulously researched", Libby's richly varied novels have won numerous awards. In 2005-2006 she was the National President of Sisters in Crime, a 4,000+ member organization dedicated to strengthening the voice of female mystery writers.

Libby started out in broadcast news, beginning her career as an assistant film editor for NBC News in New York before moving to DC to work with Robin MacNeil and Jim Lehrer at N-PACT, the public affairs production arm of PBS. Retrained as an assistant director when Watergate broke, Libby helped produce PBS's night-time broadcast of the hearings. She moved to Chicago to work for public relations firm Burson-Marsteller in Chicago in 1978, where she stayed until she left to create Fischer Hellmann Communications in 1985.

Originally from Washington, DC—where, she says, "When you're sitting around the dinner table gossiping about the neighbors, you're talking politics"—Libby earned a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania, and then a Masters Degree in Film Production from New York University. She's lived in Chicago over forty years now, has two kids and a cat.

And if you've read this far, you deserve a prize! When you sign up for her newsletter, you'll receive 7 free short stories, including the prequel to the Ellie Foreman series, which is the prequel to the Georgia Davis series, which will be the prequel... to who knows what? Her monthly newsletter will also keep you up to date on her news, views, and the occasional rant.

Click to sign up here: http://www.libbyhellmann.com/libby-fischer-hellmans-newsletter/

Daniel Silva

Kate Quinn

John Grisham

Shari J Ryan

Lorena Hughes

Ken Follett

Are you an author?

Help us improve our Author Pages by updating your bibliography and submitting a new or current image and biography.

Learn more at Author Central

1 11 1

$7.99

Kindle Edition
$7.99

Kindle Edition
$7.99

Kindle Edition
$7.99

Kindle Edition
$7.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$6.99

Kindle Edition
$6.99

Kindle Edition
$6.99

Kindle Edition
$6.99

Kindle Edition
$6.99

Kindle Edition
$4.99

Kindle Edition

Author Updates

Titles By Libby Fischer Hellmann

All Formats Kindle Edition Audible Audiobook Paperback Hardcover See more

A Bitter Veil: An American Woman Trapped in Khomeini's Iran (The Revolution Sagas) Dec 4, 2020

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 208 )

$7.99

Anna & Nouri fall in love, move to Tehran, and marry. But after the shah is deposed, only one of them survives.

Anna, a young American studying in Chicago falls in love with fellow-student Nouri, the son of a wealthy Iranian business executive. Anna, whose parents are divorced and remote, eagerly moves to Tehran where she marries and is embraced by Nouri's family. A few months later, however, in February 1978, the Shah is deposed and the Islamic Republic of Iran is formed.

Life turns upside down for the couple as men, but especially women, are restricted in their activities, clothing, and behavior. Arrests and torture are frequent, education for women is prohibited, and Anna cannot travel without her husband's permission. Although she tries to conform to please her husband and new family, Anna chafes under the oppression, while Nouri seems to embrace it.

Anna grows increasingly unhappy, and as events become more explosive, so does Nouri. Anna is desperate to return to America, but Nouri refuses to allow it. Tension builds until a shattering event changes everything and plunges Anna into a tumultuous—and dangerous—vortex, raising the possibility she will never leave Iran alive.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

La Habana Perdida : Gente Ordinaria En Tiempos Extraordinarios (Spanish Edition) Apr 27, 2015

by Libby Fischer Hellmann, Stella Ashland, Gely Rivas

( 67 )

$7.99

"Un thriller en gran parte ambientado en Cuba, que se extiende por tres generaciones de la misma familia." En vísperas de la Revolución Cubana, la testaruda Francesca Pacelli, de 18 años de edad, huye de su despiadado padre, un Jefe de la Mafia en La Habana, a los brazos de su amante, un rebelde que lucha con Fidel Castro. Su padre, desesperado por enviarla a la seguridad en los Estados Unidos, recurre a la tortura y al chantaje para buscarla en la isla. Así comienza la primera parte de una saga fascinante que abarca tres generaciones de la misma familia. Décadas después, la promesa de riquezas incalculables seduce a la familia Pacelli a regresar a Cuba. Pero al rastrear esas riquezas conlleva tanto peligro como oportunidad, y en última instancia, Francesca debe enfrentar las letales consecuencias de sus decisiones. Desde las conflictivas calles de La Habana a las peligrosas calles de Chicago, LA HABANA PERDIDA revela el verdadero costo de perseguir el poder en lugar del amor. LA HABANA PERDIDA es la décima novela de la autora galardonada Libby Fischer Hellmann y el tercer thriller que explora cómo la lucha y la revolución afectan el espíritu humano. LA HABANA PERDIDA es un testimonio de la habilidad de Hellmann para retratar los auténticos detalles históricos, así como su talento para escribir novelas de suspenso que llevan a la lectura compulsiva. Elogios para LA HABANA PERDIDA: "Un fascinante thriller histórico... Este libro atrapante, que cubre varias generaciones, está lleno de intriga y sucesos inesperados e impactantes en la trama". Booklist "Una aventura con muchos niveles... inteligente escritura, hecha en estilo consumado por un autor que nunca defrauda a sus lectores". Mystery Scene Magazine ¡Un cuento con moraleja... gran detalle histórico... interesante historia, ambiciosa y agradable! RT Books Reviews "Hellmann es ya un icono de la escena de misterio en Chicago. En LA HABANA PERDIDA, se dirige hacia una nueva dirección, en la cual evoca magistralmente a una Cuba en el pasado y el presente en un cuento desgarrador... " Sean Chercover, autor de EL JUEGO DE LA TRINIDAD "Hellmann ofrece a los lectores una proeza literaria... una exuberante historia con detalles de otro lugar y tiempo, y de amantes cuyas suertes se cruzan trágicamente. La escritura en este thriller te quitará el aliento." William Kent Krueger, autor de ORDINARIA GRACE y de la serie Cork O'Connor

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

A Bend In The River : 2 Sisters Struggle to Survive the Vietnam War (The Revolution Sagas) Oct 7, 2020

by Libby Fischer Hellmann, Thao Tran

( 208 )

$7.99

Is there a warning before life shatters into pieces?

In 1968 two young Vietnamese sisters flee to Saigon after their village on the Mekong River is attacked by American forces and burned to the ground.

The only survivors of the massacre that killed their family, the sisters struggle to survive but become estranged, separated by sharply different choices and ideologies. Mai ekes out a living as a GI bar girl, but Tam’s anger festers, and she heads into jungle terrain to fight with the Viet Cong.

For nearly ten years, neither sister knows if the other is alive. Do they both survive the war? And if they do, can they mend their fractured relationship? Or are the wounds from their journeys too deep to heal?

In a stunning departure from her crime thrillers, Hellmann delves into a universal story about survival, family, and the consequences of war. A Bend in the River is a remarkable historical fiction standalone novel. If you enjoy a saga of survival against all odds with unforgettable female characters, you’ll love Libby Fischer Hellmann’s sweeping epic.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Havana Lost: A Multi-Generational Mafia Family Saga (The Revolution Sagas) Aug 16, 2013

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 395 )

$7.99

Why do three generations of the same Mafia family keep coming back to Cuba? Will they get what they want? Or die trying?

On the eve of the Cuban Revolution, headstrong 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless Mafia-boss father in Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting with Fidel Castro. Her father, desperate to send her to safety in the US, resorts to torture and blackmail as he searches the island for her. So begins the first part of a spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family.

Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately, Francesca’s family must confront the lethal consequences of her choices.

From the troubled streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true cost of chasing power instead of love. HAVANA LOST is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s third thriller that explores how strife and revolution affect the human spirit.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Set The Night On Fire: A 1960s Crime Thriller (The Revolution Sagas) Feb 10, 2021

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 91 )

$7.99

A woman discovers her parents were not the people she thought they were. Who is she? And why is someone trying to kill her?

Lila Hilliard returns home to Chicago for the holidays only to find someone is stalking her. Her father and brother are trapped in a fire, and she senses someone is following her. As she desperately tries to figure out who is after her and why, she uncovers information about her father’s past that ties him to the volatile movement of young activists during the late Sixties. Which means her parents were not the people she was told they were.

Who were her parents? And why was the secret kept from her? As Lila looks for answers, a man on a motorcycle slows, pulls out a a semi-automatic, and aims it at her. Suddenly a stranger darts out, pulls her to safety, then disappears. Who is this stranger? Is he Lila's stalker?

The story then takes us back to the late Sixties in Chicago where 6 young people gathered during the Democratic Convention. Through their stories, the truth about Lila's family is gradually revealed, and the threat to Lila in the present becomes clear. (A plus: some of the scenes in the historical section are suddenly relevant again)

Part thriller, part historical novel, part love story, Set The Night on Fire reveals the resolution to Lila's family secrets. It also tells an extraordinary tale about the stormy Chicago 1968 Democratic convention, SDS, the Black Panthers, women's issues, and a group of idealists who were sure they would change the world.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

War, Spies, And Bobby Sox: A Trio of Stories about WW2 at Home (The Revolution Sagas Book 4) Feb 27, 2017

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 85 )

$5.99

What happens when three young women make dangerous, life-threatening choices during WW2?

As World War II rages across Europe and the Pacific, its impact ripples through communities in the heartland of America.

A farm girl is locked in a dangerous love triangle with two Germans soldiers held in an Illinois POW camp ... Another German, a war refugee, is forced to risk her life spying on the developing Manhattan Project in Chicago ... And espionage surrounds the disappearance of an actress from the thriving Jewish community of Chicago’s Lawndale.

In this trio of tales, acclaimed thriller author Libby Fischer Hellmann beautifully depicts the tumultuous effect of war on the home front and illustrates how the action, terror, and tragedy of World War II was not confined to the front lines.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

An Eye For Murder: Chicago Filmmaker Investigates a WW2 Secret (The Ellie Foreman Mysteries Book 1) Nov 14, 2013

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 296 )

$6.99

A secret shared during World War II has deadly consequences for a single mom in Chicago

Chicago Filmmaker Ellie Foreman is shocked to find her name among the effects of a recently deceased gangster. Flung into a mystery, she is faced with more frustrating questions than answers, especially when it comes to how her own father is involved.

When she is asked to produce a campaign film for a steel mill heiress turned hopeful Senator, Ellie finds herself swept up in the world of a political campaign and fails to pick up danger signals in front of her. In fact, the deeper she goes, the more desperate those trying to hide the truth become. She’s surrounded by danger, but she can't stop until she discovers the truth.

Can she survive a shocking conspiracy that was sixty years in the making or will the secrets die with her?

If you love stories with conspiracies, historical secrets, and dangerous, desperate villains, you'll love Libby Hellmann’s An Eye for Murder. Grab “Eye” and uncover the truth today.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

A Picture of Guilt: An Ellie Foreman Mystery (The Ellie Foreman Mysteries Book 2) Nov 13, 2013

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 46 )

$6.99

The big news story in Chicago is the murder trial of Johnny Santoro, a dock worker whose girlfriend has been killed. Most Chicagoans are betting on a quick guilty verdict, but Ellie Foreman has doubts about his complicity—Santoro is strangely familiar to her.

Checking back to the outtakes of a video project in progress when the murder took place, Ellie finds evidence that could save Santoro from a lifetime behind bars. It seems the perfect alibi, but the tape is compromised by radio interference and Santoro goes to jail.

Almost immediately, Ellie’s world begins to shift: a suspicious vehicle follows her, the Chicago mob shows up, and the FBI wants to question her. She doesn’t have answers, but she has questions of her own. Everything indicates that someone wants something from her, something bigger than the Santoro case. If only she could figure out what it is before it's too late...

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

DoubleBlind: A Case of Mistaken Identity Turns Deadly (Georgia Davis Series Book 6) Mar 8, 2022

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 90 )

$6.99

With little work during the pandemic, Chicago PI Georgia Davis agrees to help the best friend of fellow sleuth, Ellie Foreman. Susan Siler’s aunt died suddenly after her Covid booster, and Susan’s distraught mother wants the death investigated.

However, Georgia’s investigation is interrupted by a family trip to Nauvoo, Illinois, the one-time Mormon heartland. It’s there that her life unexpectedly intersects with the runaway spouse of a Mormon Fundamentalist. Back in Evanston, after Georgia is almost killed by a hit and run driver, she discovers that she and the escaped woman look remarkably alike.

Is someone trying to kill Georgia because of her death investigation case? Or is it a case of mistaken identity? And how can Georgia find her doppelganger before whoever wants them both dead tries again?

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Jump Cut: Ellie Foreman Takes On A CyberSecurity Hack (An Ellie Foreman Mystery Book 5) Feb 29, 2016

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 127 )

$6.99

Chicago video producer Ellie Foreman has been absent from thriller author Libby Fischer Hellmann's repertoire for almost a decade. Now, in Jump Cut, she's back...and is soon entangled in a web of espionage, murder, and suspicion that threatens to destroy what she holds most dear.

Hired to produce a candy-floss profile of Chicago-based aviation giant Delcroft, Ellie is dismayed when company VP Charlotte Hollander trashes the production and cancels the project. Ellie believes Hollander was spooked by shots of a specific man in the video footage. But when Ellie arranges to meet the man to find out why, he is killed by a subway train before they can talk.

In the confusion, she finds a seemingly abandoned pack of cigarettes with a flash drive inside that belonged to the now-dead man. Ellie gets the drive's contents decrypted, but before long discovers she's under surveillance. Suspecting Delcroft and the ambitious Hollander are behind it, she's unconvinced when Hollander tells her the dead man was a Chinese spy.

Ellie and her boyfriend, Luke, try to find answers, but they don't realize how far they have ventured into the dangerous echelons of hidden power-- where more lives are on the line―including their own.

Verfügbar auf Deutsch

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Easy Innocence: Bold Female P.I. Takes on Dark Chicago Crimes (Georgia Davis Series Book 1) Dec 18, 2013

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 469 )

$6.99

How far do high school girls go for approval from their peers? Chicago PI Georgia Davis finds out.

When pretty, smart Sara Long is found bludgeoned to death, it's easy to blame the man with the bat. But when Georgia Davis -- former cop and newly-minted PI -- is hired to look into the incident at the behest of the accused's sister, what she finds hints at a different, darker answer.

It seems the privileged, preppy schoolgirls on Chicago's North Shore have learned just how much their innocence is worth to hot-under-the-collar businessmen. But while these girls can now pay for Prada pricetags, they don't realize that their new business venture may end up costing them more than they can afford.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Virtually Undetectable: An Ellie Foreman Mystery Oct 8, 2021

by Libby Fischer Hellmann

( 44 )

$4.99

This Ellie Foreman mystery was originally published as part of the High-Tech Crime Solvers series in 2020 so there are two versions. The text is identical in both versions, and this one is now in Kindle Unlimited. So grab your copy... and Enjoy!

Trawling through the lawless corners of the dark internet is the last thing respectable bank manager, Rachel Foreman, expected to be doing.

But she’s just been fired after falling for a cyber-scam, resulting in the identity-theft and online targeting of a female Fortune 500 CEO, accused, among other things, of the murder of a disgruntled former employee.

Lucky for Rachel, her mother is renowned investigator Ellie Foreman. In an effort to find out who’s targeting the CEO and to salvage what’s left of Rachel’s reputation, both mother and daughter trail shadowy hackers and ruthless cyber-criminals through an increasingly dangerous web of deception that threatens both mother and daughter's lives.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

More Information

Are you an author? Visit Author Central to change your photo, edit your biography, and more

Libby Fischer Hellmann

Similar authors to follow

About Libby Fischer Hellmann

Customers Also Bought Items By

Are you an author?

Author Updates

Titles By Libby Fischer Hellmann

More Information