I was born in Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders and history has always been in my blood. I left school when I was 15 to join the local paper because I liked writing and in those days universities were only for other people.

Reporter, sub-editor, chief sub and night editor, I eventually spent nine heady years as assistant editor of The Scotsman, before digging an escape tunnel on the train with my laptop, which is probably my greatest and (come to think of it) most unlikely achievement. I’m the published author of 21 novels (I also write as James Douglas), including the acclaimed nine-book Valerius series, and The Warsaw Quartet, which follows the fortunes of Polish detective Jan Kalisz as he balances working for the Nazis and the Resistance during the brutal occupation of the city.