Kathleen Kelley Reardon's newest book is the crime mystery, DAMNED IF SHE DOES, described by Kirkus Reviews as "informed and searing" and a "page-turning success." A major subplot is secrecy about sexual misconduct - the dilemma so many women face. Her debut crime mystery, SHADOW CAMPUS, made the top of Amazon's Top New Releases and was described by Forbes as a "fast-paced" and "masterful" debut.

Author of 10 nonfiction books, she is a professor emerita at USC's Marshall School of Business, was a featured blogger at The Huffington Post from 2005 to 2016, and a writer at HBR online, Big Think and The Conversation.

Her first book, PERSUASION IN PRACTICE, (revised edition retitled), was described by Public Opinion Quarterly as "a landmark contribution to the field" of research and theory in persuasion.

Her first trade book, THEY DON'T GET IT, DO THEY?, was based on her classic Harvard Business Review article "The Memo Every Woman Keeps in Her Desk." Her latest HBR article is "Courage as a Skill."

THE SECRET HANDSHAKE (2000), an Amazon business and nonfiction bestseller, provides a rare and perceptive inside look at the politics of business. IT'S ALL POLITICS (2005), also a bestseller, provides a deeper analysis of workplace politics. Other Kathleen Kelley Reardon books for professional people include THE SKILLED NEGOTIATOR (2004) and COMEBACKS AT WORK: USING CONVERSATION TO MASTER CONFRONTATION (2010).

Kathleen also wrote CHILDHOOD DENIED: ENDING THE NIGHTMARE OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT (2008) an investigation into the legal, political and societal treatment of foster children in the U.S. The concept she introduced in that book of creating university-based academies to prepare foster children for college (of whom only approximately 3% graduate) has already resulted in the creation of a number of such academies at major universities, with more on the way. At First Star, the nonprofit with which initiates and develops those academies, she was a co-founding board member is the its Distinguished Research Fellow. She also received the University of Connecticut Alumni Association 2013 Humanitarian Award.

Her breakthrough INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS GIFT-GIVING was used by the White House Office of Protocol as a primary reference for many years as well as by chiefs of protocol for nations and businesses around the world. This research also resulted in a Harvard Business Review article.

At USC, Dr. Reardon served on the Preventive Medicine Faculty for over 15 years and was earlier a professor of Communication Sciences at UCONN. She earned her Ph.D. at UMass Amherst where she graduated with distinction and won the top national dissertation of the year award from the National Communication Association. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Mortar Board. She has consulted for companies around the world on topics related to communication, persuasion, negotiation and politics at work. Kathleen is also a member of the International Women's Forum (IWF).

She has appeared on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News and Good Morning America. Her research and writings have been covered in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and broadcast news segments.

In SHADOW CAMPUS and DAMNED IF SHE DOES Kathleen has taken her study and research on politics and gender issues in the workplace to fiction. Stories, she says, are a powerful vehicle of influence entering our minds with ease, leaving an impact and even changing how we see the world. The Audible version of SHADOW CAMPUS is performed by Karen Minihan of Schull, West Cork Ireland.

The Audible version of DAMNED IF SHE DOES released in 2021 is performed by Brendan Conroy and Camilla Griehsel of Dublin and West Cork, Ireland. Check it out!