ROBERT BARNARD was born in Essex. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and after completing his degree he taught English at universities in Australia and Norway, where he completed his doctorate on Dickens. He returned to England, settling in Leeds and became a full-time writer, penning countless novels and short stories. In 2003 Robert was the recipient of the prestigious CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger, an award in recognition of a lifetime’s achievement in crime writing. He died in 2013.