Quick Facts
Biography
Mark Lindquist is an American lawyer and author. Mark Lindquist is currently the Prosecuting Attorney in Pierce County, Washington. He was elected in November 2010, after being appointed to the position in a bipartisan and unanimous vote of the County Council on September 1, 2009.
Books background
His books are known for mixing literature with pop culture. His first two novels, Sad Movies and Carnival Desires, depicted Los Angeles and the movie business. While his third novel, Never Mind Nirvana, did the same for the Seattle music scene (Details magazine). Lindquist focused his fourth novel, The King of Methlehem, on the world of methamphetamine, in Tacoma, Washington. In the 2005 September/October issue of Pages magazine, which featured a cover story on the literary Brat Pack, he discusses how novels can capture the Zeitgeist.
Author background
After graduating from the University of Southern California, he worked as a copy writer for a movie studio. His first novel, Sad Movies, drew on this. He went on to write screenplays for several studios and book reviews for The Los Angeles Book Review, The New York Times Book Review, and The Seattle Times, as well as articles for The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Movieline, and other publications. He left Hollywood in the 1990s and enrolled in Seattle University School of Law. After graduating, he became a prosecuting attorney and moved to Tacoma. His third novel, Never Mind Nirvana, followed after this hiatus. According to the author's website, his fourth novel, The King of Methlehem, was published in hardcover by Simon & Schuster in May 2007 and the trade paperback was published in May 2008 by Simon & Schuster.
Prosecutorial Performance and Misconduct
Lindquist's term as Prosecutor has been marked by many reversals of convictions by the Washington state courts—the highest totals of any county in the state. The reversals include several of the alleged accomplices to the 2009 shooting of Lakewood, Washington, police officers, including the alleged get-away driver.
Based on his performance in office, The Seattle Times, Washington State's largest newspaper, called on Lindquist to resign.