BARBARA CLEVERLY lives in Cambridge, England, surrounded by ancient buildings and bookshops. She was born and educated in the north of England at a Yorkshire grammar school and then at Durham University.

The Last Kashmiri Rose was Barbara’s first book, which she was inspired to write following a successful outline sent to the Crime Writers’ Association/Sunday Times Debut Dagger Competition. A shortlisting and warm reception by the judging panel led to its writing in full. It was a New York Times Notable Book of 2002, and Barbara has written a further eight Joe Sandilands novels.