Kelli Martin is a small town girl from Granbury, Texas located in Hood County about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Growing up in this quaint, picturesque town was not what people might think. Women in the 1980s were being murdered in the hood and no one was being arrested. People were scared and began locking their doors. A convicted rapist was running loose, peeping in the author's window, and stalking her. These events in childhood and the murder of a friend and co-worker in 1990 had a profound impact on Martin and her choice to enter the field of criminal justice. All these years later she wrote this book Homicide in the Hood: Murders that Haunt a Small Town Girl, in hopes of these cases finally being solved. The unsolved cases covered is this book are now being worked by law enforcement.

Martin started her career in 1995 as an adult probation officer and throughout her tenure was a pre-sentence investigation officer, a court officer, an officer in the specialized sex crimes unit, a training officer, search & seizure team leader, an officer in several specialized units for substance abusers, and general caseloads. Martin has 18 years' experience in executive-level management and administration in community corrections agencies including supervising the Sex Crimes Unit, Training Academy Director, and Research & Policy Planner. Martin has many years of experience as a college instructor teaching over 15 different classes, including several special topics courses for which she developed the curricula. Martin has published numerous articles on community corrections issues, a chapter in a two-volume series called, Icons of Crime Fighting, an e-book college criminology textbook, and various technical reports and research briefs.