Martine Bailey was born and raised in Lancashire, where she first wrote stories on the back of TV scripts discarded by her father, a composer of themes to many of Granada TV’s pioneering dramas. She gained a first-class honours degree in English Literature and an MSc in Management, initially working as a lecturer and Human Resources Manager and later obtaining external academic posts at centres in Hong Kong and Cairo.

Martine lives in Cheshire, England and is married with one son. She has published four historical crime novels, An Appetite for Violets (2014), The Penny Heart (2015), The Almanack (2019) and The Prophet (2021). Her latest novel, Sharp Scratch (February 2024), is the first in a new crime series set in 1980s Salford.

Twitter: @MartineBailey

Website: www.martinebailey.com

Six candidates. One job. A killer prepared to murder their way to the top.

‘Taut, twisty and addictive. Martine Bailey is one to watch.’ – Louisa Treger

‘A brilliant and darkly compelling thriller, with a genuinely creepy mix of mystery, psychology and murder.’ – SD Sykes