Paul French was born in London and lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. He received the Mystery Writers' of America Edgar award for Best Fact Crime and a Crime Writers' Association (UK) Dagger award for nonfiction. His most recent book, City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir , received much praise with The Economist calling him a 'champion storyteller'. Both Midnight in Peking and City of Devils are currently in development for film.