Theresa Schwegel: Officer Down

I have started reading Officer Down, the first (and very recent) novel of Theresa Schwegel, an American crime writer. The book received the 2006 Edgar Award for best first novel. I have read only a few pages, but it is quite good so far. Apart from the fact that she writes at the present tense, which has always irritated me for some reason, I like her style which, although not exactly original, is very solid and in the hardboiled tradition. I envy her as well, because she is quite young, probably younger than I am, and not only did she get published, but she won a price, and a big one at that!