Phil Stanford is a true crime writer with a special interest in political corruption. White House Call Girl is his fifth book. His book Portland Confidential won the Independent Publisher's "Best True Crime" in 2005. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post Magazine, the Washingtonian, Rolling Stone, and Columbia Journalism Review. He has worked as a magazine editor and a licensed private investigator, and was a columnist for the Oregonian and the Portland Tribune.