Academic philosopher and crime-fiction devotee, Janna Thompsion arrived in Australia in 1970, having studied in Minnesota and then spent some time at Manchester University. She taught at both Monash University and La Trobe University, and was a member of the Communist Party of Australia until its dissolution in 1991.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she wrote her debut crime novel, set in a retirement home during the Melbourne lockdowns.
She died in June 2022, shortly after a diagnosis of multiple brain tumours.