Russ Smith grew up in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, and now lives in Benzie County, near the Village of Beulah in northwest lower Michigan. He spends part of the year in Arizona and traveling to find ideas for his next story. Before moving to Benzie County, Russ lived and worked in several states and in many different countries in Europe and Asia.

Russ has always been intrigued by the politics of the criminal justice and court systems. The idea for this book arose while has was on a jury for a criminal case in Phoenix. He decided to explore some of the peculiarities of these systems in this book while also sharing some of the highlights of life in Benzie County.

Russ has a B.A. in Hotel Management and Marketing from Michigan State University and has MBA and M.Ed degrees from Arizona State University.

Before he began to write mysteries, Russ worked in the semiconductor industry, holding various positions in organizational development and supply chain management. When not writing, Russ likes to travel, golf, play bridge and poker, and cook.

Murder at Beulah Crest is the author's third novel. Table 29 - A Murder Mystery, was published in 2017 and The Carinthia Secret was published in 2018.