Jane Lasswell Hoff was born in Hollywood, California, in 1951. Her parents, Thomas and Marcia, were both university professors. She was married to Charles Jay Hoff, an anthropologist and professor of pediatrics. Together they lived in Oregon, Alabama, Washington, and Utah. Shortly before her husband's death, they settled in Hilo, Hawaii, where Jane lives and works today.
Jane Hoff attended the University of Hawaii, Manoa, for undergraduate school and the University of Oregon for graduate school. As a professional forensic anthropologist and a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, she has worked for tribal groups, the U.S. military, medical examiners' offices, and police departments throughout the U.S. to identify human remains.
Jane Hoff published her first mystery book, Bones of Paradise, in 2016. The story takes place in Hilo, Hawaii, and is part of A Big Island Mysteries series. While researching her second mystery in the series (and looking for a good spot to discover a fictional body), she was sidetracked by the wonderful stories of the historic banyan trees of Hilo, and wrote a guidebook, The Trees of Banyan Drive (2018). The second book in the mystery series, The Bones of Banyan Drive, was published in November of 2023. The newest mystery in the series, Bones of Contention, will be available in late 2026.
She has also edited and helped to complete David Penhallow-Scott's biography, Anna: Who Gave Her Heart to Hawaii (2020); Portraits of Hawaii's Royalty (2021); A History of the Hilo Yacht Club (2022); Kalapana: Reflections on Lost Waves (2025); and Voyage to Hawaii: Sailing with Faith (2024)