Romantic Suspense Author
About Diane Benefiel
USA Today bestselling author of emotional, small-town romantic suspense set in the shadow of Payback Mountain.
A lifelong reader who fell in love with strong heroines
Murderer? Stalker? Mayhem? Are bad guys coming to get her? Nope, Diane is just a retired schoolteacher with a laptop. She’s been married for decades. Decades! She walks Finn every morning (mostly). She FaceTimes with her grandkids. The most excitement she’s had lately is a bumpy ride on a plane, and that’s not the fun kind of excitement. But her heroines? They have all the thrills. Scary things happen to them. Hot, compelling men find them fascinating. And they always find their HEA.
An avid reader for as long as she can remember, Diane has always favored stories with strong female characters who go on adventures and can think themselves out of the most dangerous situations. It’s no surprise that those are the kinds of books she enjoys writing.
Diane’s love of the outdoors is reflected in her books. She was born and raised in Southern California, and family vacations meant camping in locations ranging from Big Sur to Death Valley to Zion. Two of her series are set in fictional towns in her happy place, California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Her love of travel took her to Sweden as an exchange student when she was sixteen and backpacking around Great Britain (after a week in Paris) while in college. She and her husband have enjoyed pulling their little trailer to the National Parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Pinnacles.
Her love of travel took her to Sweden as an exchange student when she was sixteen and backpacking around Great Britain (after a week in Paris) while in college. She and her husband have enjoyed pulling their little trailer to the National Parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Pinnacles.
What you’ll find in Diane’s books
Diane’s stories blend high-stakes suspense with deeply emotional romance. Each book stands on its own, but together they create a rich, interconnected world where familiar faces return and every happily-ever-after is hard won.
- • Strong, capable heroines who refuse to be victims
- • Protective, wounded heroes with hearts worth fighting for
- • Small-town communities with deep roots and deeper secrets
- • Found family, loyalty, and second chances
- • Rising tension, danger in the shadows, and emotional payoffs
- • Satisfying, hopeful endings—always with a happily-ever-after
Welcome to Payback Mountain
The Payback Mountain series follows the men and women of Sisters, California—a town where everyone knows your name, no one forgets your past, and some secrets are worth killing for. Each book features a new couple facing danger, uncovering the truth, and fighting for a love that might be the only safe place left.