Gary McAvoy
A native Californian now thriving in the Pacific Northwest, Gary McAvoy began writing early in life, for a small-town newspaper and regional Southern California magazines, then corporate communications for his own businesses and client projects, and on to published nonfiction books. As a technology industry veteran, Gary developed and edited “Cracking the New Economy: Business Tools for the Entrepreneur,” published in 2000 by the Washington Software Association, on whose Board he served as Vice Chair and a Director for six years.
From 1999 to 2005 Gary worked closely with primatologist and animal ethicist Dr. Jane Goodall, serving as Seattle Base Camp Chair for the Jane Goodall Institute, managing Northwest fundraising efforts in support of the institute’s global initiatives. In 2003 Gary convinced Jane she should speak to global food issues, and in 2005 they co-authored "Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating" (Warner Books) with Gail Hudson.
Nurturing a lifelong passion for collecting handwritten history, in 1997 Gary founded VintageMemorabilia.com, featuring authentic signed letters, documents, manuscripts, books, photographs, and other memorabilia of historical or cultural significance. Those who share this passion know that few things compare to holding history in your hands—a letter written by Abraham Lincoln, for example, or one by Truman Capote discussing work on his book "In Cold Blood."
It was this last acquisition, in fact, that sparked the adventures leading up to Gary's second nonfiction book, "And Every Word Is True" (Literati Editions, 2019), a fresh look at the investigation of the infamous 1959 Clutter family murders, heinous crimes chillingly portrayed in Capote's landmark nonfiction novel. Having prevailed in a four-year lawsuit brought by the State of Kansas—a tenacious campaign of suppression and intimidation to prevent the book’s publication—"And Every Word Is True" pulls back the curtain for a suspenseful encore to the true story of “In Cold Blood.”
Gary is now writing fiction full-time. His bestselling series, The Magdalene Chronicles, features the Vatican Secret Archive and a cast of unforgettable characters as they plunge into the secret and mystifying world of ancient documents.
Works

The Petrus Prophecy
Father Jonah Barlow is dead. The respected Jesuit scholar of apocalyptic studies might have died from a fall in his apartment . . . or was he pushed? All that is known for sure is that the provocative manuscript he was working on—a book that promised to reveal the upcoming fulfillment of ancient and recent prophecies, including the ghastly and shocking Third Secret of Fatima—is missing.
Two female detectives—one from Chicago, the other from Rome—take on the investigation as a possible homicide, turning to Vatican archivist Father Michael Dominic for his help, since Barlow sent the young priest the only other copy of the manuscript.
Newly elected Pope Ignatius, Enrico Petrini, intent on verifying the content of the manuscript against the original handwritten version of the Third Secret—which has been kept sequestered in the Pope’s personal vault for decades—discovers that the keys have been stolen. The search is on for the only other set, kept safely in the hands of a trusted monk in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, a sinister ancient order known as the Knights of the Apocalypse seem to be using the predictions of the manuscript to create fear and chaos as the prophecies appear to be coming fulfilled. Is the end of the world imminent?
From Chicago to Jerusalem to Scotland, from Rome to the ancient island nation of Malta, join Father Dominic, journalist Hana Sinclair, their trusted team of Swiss Guards, a French commando, and the two detectives as they solve the bewildering puzzles of the Petrus Prophecy.
The Opus Dictum
The Magdalene Veil
The Vivaldi Cipher
The Magdalene Reliquary
The Magdalene Deception
And Every Word Is True
The Clutter Murder Files
Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating
Cracking the New Economy
Awards and Recognition
- "And Every Word Is True" named as a Finalist in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
- Gary` was named a semifinalist for the 1995 Pacific Northwest Inc. Magazine/Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and in 1998 received the Governor's Award for distinctive leadership in Washington State's software industry.
- 1st Place Winner (Religious Fiction) Next Generation Indie Book Awards - June 2022
Press and Media Mentions
- WALL STREET JOURNAL: In the half-century since Truman Capote published “In Cold Blood,” investigative journalists and scholars have documented countless instances of inaccuracy and fabrication in the so-called true-crime book.
- DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD: After new evidence emerged in the 1959 murders of the Herbert Clutter family, made famous by Truman Capote’s book In Cold Blood, Glass Entertainment Group and Daniel H. Birman Productions have joined to produce a limited series based on what is one of the most famous crime stories in American history.
- LOS ANGELES TIMES: Judge frees original 'In Cold Blood' files for publication
- SALON.COM: The new “In Cold Blood” revisionism: What if Capote’s classic wasn’t fully true?
- THE GUARDIAN (UK): A new take on In Cold Blood? Judge allows agent's 'jaw-dropping' files to be published