Larry Karp grew up in Paterson, NJ and New York City. He practiced perinatal medicine (high-risk pregnancy care) and wrote general nonfiction books and articles for 25 years, then, in 1995, he left medical work to begin a second career, writing mystery novels. The backgrounds and settings of Larry's mysteries reflect many of his interests, including musical antiques, medical-ethics, and of course, ragtime.

To write his ragtime historical trilogy (The Ragtime Kid, The King of Ragtime, The Ragtime Fool), Larry did a good deal of on-site, on-line, and library research, and developed a particular interest in Brun Campbell. Brun became the protagonist of the first and third books of Larry's trilogy. After acquiring an extensive collection of Brun's writings, musical compositions, photos, business records, and personal effects, Larry worked the material into a historical biography, Brun Campbell, The Original Ragtime Kid. The book will be published in 2016 by McFarland. A companion CD, produced by David Reffkin, features nearly every piece of music Brun ever composed, including recently-found and rarely-heard music. This recording is now available from Rivermont Records.

Other mystery novels by Larry Karp include A Perilous Conception, First Do No Harm, The Midnight Special, Scamming the Birdman, and The Music Box Murders. Larry's mysteries have been finalists for the Daphne Du Maurier and Spotted Owl Awards, and have appeared on the Los Angeles Times and Seattle Times Best-Seller Lists. The Ragtime Kid was San Marino CA's selection for its 2011 One Book/One City Event.

Larry's nonfiction books include Genetic Engineering: Threat or Promise?, The View From The Vue, and The Enchanted Ear.