Joan Hess

Joan Edmiston Hess ( pseudonym: Joan Hadley ) ( born January 6, 1949 in Fayetteville ( Arkansas) ) is an American crime writer.

The daughter of the grocery wholesaler Jack D. Edmiston and the building contractor Helen Edmiston earned her Bachelor of Arts in 1971 at the University of Arkansas and her Masters in 1974 at the Long Iceland University. From 1973 to 1986 she was married to Jeremy Hess, with whom she has two children.

From 1974 to 1980 she worked in Fayetteville as a real estate sales and until 1984 she taught art there at a private preschool. During this time she became a freelance writer.