Peter James is a noted crime writer in the UK and an internationally known film producer. He was the executive producer of the recent film adaptation of The Merchant of Venice. This is his first novel in the series featuring Detective Superintendent Grace. He divides his time between Notting Hill in London and Sussex.

Hugh Bonneville made his professional debut at the Open Air Theatre, Regent s Park, in 1986, bashing a cymbal in "A Midsummer Night s Dream" and understudying Ralph Fiennes as Lysander. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1991 and is now a familiar face to television audiences as well, having played leading roles in a number of shows. He appeared in the Emmy Award winning "The Gathering Storm", "Twenty Twelve", "Downton Abbey", "Doctor Who", and numerous others. "Twenty Twelve" won a British Comedy Award in 2011 and a BAFTA in 2013, Hugh being nominated two years running as Best Comedy Actor. In 2014, Hugh s character, Ian Fletcher, appeared in "W1A", a follow-up series about life at the BBC.