Joan Brady

Joan Brady (1939–2024) was an American-British author renowned as the first woman and first American to win the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for her novel *Theory of War*. Initially a ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet, she transitioned to writing after marrying author Dexter Masters, publishing her debut novel *The Impostor* in 1979 and later thrillers like *Bleedout* and *Venom*.[2][3][5]