Susan R. Matthews (born July 1952)^[1] is an American science fiction writer.

Matthews was born in Fort Benning, Georgia.^[1] She lives in Seattle. She served in the US Army as operations and security officer of a Combat Support Hospital, later worked as an auditor for Boeing and graduated from Seattle University with an MBA in accounting.^[2]

Her debut novel, An Exchange of Hostages, was published by Avon Books in 1997.^[1] It was nominated for the 1997 Philip K. Dick Award and for the 1998 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer; it also obtained fourth place in the poll for the 1998 Locus Award for Best First Novel. Like its sequels, An Exchange of Hostages is set in a dystopic space opera future ruled by an autocratic judiciary. The novel and most of its sequels follow Andrej Koscuisko, a state torturer, and are primarily concerned with his reactions to the violence he is called on to commit. The seven-book Under Jurisdiction series concluded in 2017 with Blood Enemies.^[3]

Publications

Under Jurisdiction series

1. An Exchange of Hostages (1997), ISBN 0-380-78913-2 (number 1 in series chronology)
2. Prisoner of Conscience (1998), ISBN 0-380-78914-0 (number 2 in series chronology)
3. Hour of Judgment (1999), ISBN 0-380-80314-3 (number 4 in series chronology)
4. Angel of Destruction (2001), ISBN 0-451-45849-4 (number 3 in series chronology)
5. The Devil and Deep Space (2002), ISBN 0-451-45901-6 (number 5 in series chronology)
6. Warring States (2006), ISBN 1-59222-094-0 (number 6 in series chronology)
7. Blood Enemies (2017), ISBN 978-1-4767-8216-4 (number 7 in series chronology)
8. Crimes Against Humanity (2019), ISBN 978-1-4814-8371-1

Under Jurisdiction Baen Omnibus series

1. Fleet Inquisitor (2016), ISBN 978-1-4767-8194-5
   1. An Exchange of Hostages (number 1 in series chronology)
   2. Prisoner of Conscience (number 2 in series chronology)
   3. Angel of Destruction (number 3 in series chronology)
2. Fleet Renegade (2017), ISBN 978-1-4767-8209-6
   4. Hour of Judgment (number 4 in series chronology)
   5. The Devil and Deep Space (number 5 in series chronology)
   6. Warring States (number 6 in series chronology)
3. Fleet Insurgent (2017),  ISBN 978-1-4814-8286-8 (collection of novellas, novelettes, and short stories)

The High Pamir series (as Zarabeth Abbey)

1. The Wild High Places (2020), ISBN 978-1-9512-9316-1
2. The Ley Lines of Kashgar (2021)

Other novels

• Avalanche Soldier (1999), ISBN 0-380-80315-1
• Colony Fleet (2000), ISBN 0-380-80316-X