About
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.
Featured Work
The Jerusalem Scrolls

Two young Israeli boys discover an ancient red clay jar in a hidden cave tucked away in the Judean Desert near Qumran. Inside the jar are several scrolls written by the Essenes two thousand years earlier, before the Great Jewish Revolt, including one legendary scroll engraved on silver that speaks of what may be the great Lost Treasures of Solomon buried around Jerusalem—consistent with the predictions of the fabled Copper Scroll discovered in 1947 near the Dead Sea. But one of the overlooked parchments turns out to be far more pivotal to Christianity than anything ever before discovered—a startling manuscript written by St. Paul himself that could rewrite religious history.
Father Michael Dominic and his friends are called to Jerusalem to inspect the silver scroll, but others are trying to get to the precious manuscripts first—members of a little known sect called the Mithraists, the chief rival to Christianity up to the fourth century…a wealthy Texas televangelist…an Egyptian antiquities broker…Israeli Mossad agents…and a cast of rogues each out for themselves.
Follow the adventures of Father Dominic and his loyal team from Rome to the Holy Land—through the colorful bazaars of Cairo to the ancient holy sites of Jerusalem and Jordan—in this engaging, historical international thriller.
Other Works
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The Galileo Gambit
2023
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The Opus Dictum
2022
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The Petrus Prophecy
2022
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The Avignon Affair
2022
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The Magdalene Veil
2021
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The Vivaldi Cipher
2021
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The Magdalene Deception
2020
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The Magdalene Reliquary
2020
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And Every Word Is True
2019
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The Clutter Murder Files
2019
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Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating
2005
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Cracking the New Economy
2000
Awards and Recognition
- 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.
- "And Every Word Is True" named as a Finalist in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
- 1st Place Winner (Religious Fiction) Next Generation Indie Book Awards - June 2022
Press and Media Mentions
- 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
- 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.