A.C. FRIEDEN

A globe-trotting thriller author whose international roots—from Senegal to Switzerland to Latin America and across Asia—fuel the pulse-pounding realism of his novels. A tech lawyer by day, and formerly a molecular biologist, army sniper, seaplane pilot, and scuba instructor, Frieden brings rare authenticity to stories that weave together law, geopolitics, and espionage. He is best known for the acclaimed Jonathan Brooks series, which follows a New Orleans attorney drawn into conspiracies far beyond the courtroom.

His latest installment, Dead in the Quarter, launched at Bouchercon 2025 in New Orleans, plunges readers into a deadly plot set against the city’s gritty underbelly. Frieden has published six novels and contributed to three acclaimed thriller anthologies. From abandoned Soviet ruins to the alleys of Pyongyang and the radioactive remains of Chernobyl, his immersive research and taut prose make every scene feel dangerously real.

As one of the country’s leading tech-industry legal executives, Frieden has served as General Counsel for multinational tech companies and practiced at two global law firms. Fluent in five languages, he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in molecular biology, a Juris Doctor, and a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property Law, with honors— and he is constantly traveling the globe, interviewing people who operate in the shadows, in search of compelling new settings, hidden histories, and high-stakes drama for his next thriller.