L.R. Wright worked as a reporter and a columnist until turning to freelance writing full time. She published her first novel, Neighbours, in 1979 and two more in the next five years before turning to the mystery genre. Her first mystery novel, The Suspect, won the 1986 Edgar Award for Best Novel, beating out entries by Simon Brett, Ruth Rendell, and Paul Auster. She went on to write eight more novels in the Karl Alberg series between 1986 and 1997.