In Wasted, a"green noir" mystery, Berkeley bookkeeper Brian Hunter reinvents himself as a reporter, investigates the "recycling wars," finds the body of his friend Doug crushed in an aluminum bale, and hunts down the murderer, all the while trying to win the heart of Barb, Doug's former lover, now a suspect in his murder.

John Byrne Barry is a writer, designer, actor, bike tour leader, and crossing guard.

He wrote his first book-length project - a 140-page treatise on dinosaurs - in fifth grade at Kilmer School in Chicago. One page for each dinosaur. Lots of white space. He's been writing ever since - magazine and newspaper articles, advice columns, political comedy and murder mystery plays. He's even written for seed catalogs.

His first novel - Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher, set during the 2008 presidential campaign in New Mexico, won the 2015 Best Book Award from the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA).