M. J. Arlidge (Matthew Arlidge) is a Sunday Times bestselling English author who studied English literature at St John’s College, Cambridge, and film and television production at Bristol University before channeling his extraordinary real-life history—ranging from growing up with a criminal lawyer father and teaching in southern India to working as a high-end television drama producer and script editor—into writing incredibly graphic, fast-paced crime thrillers that captivate global audiences with multi-POV pacing, short cliffhanger scenes, and dark psychological grit. His writing career effectively bridges the screen and the page, allowing him to infuse his flagship protagonist, Detective Inspector Helen Grace, with intense cinematic realism inspired by his fifteen-plus years producing primetime television dramas.