Tom Harper grew up in West Germany, Belgium and the USA, before returning to England to study History at Oxford University.  He now lives in York with his wife and two sons.  He earned his first publishing contract after coming runner-up in the Debut Dagger competition for unpublished authors in 2001, and has since written thirteen novels including The Orpheus Descent, Zodiac Station and The Lazarus Vault.  His work has been translated into over twenty languages.    In 2010-11 he was Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, and in 2016 he will Chair the Harrogate History Festival.