Joss Stirling owes her existence to Scotland Yard. In the early 60s, her father, a hotshot detective in the Metropolitan Police, met her mother, a 19-year-old girl from East London and the Yard's most inept filing clerk (her verdict). Love over the criminal records led to marriage and children. Unlike the police detectives you see on TV, Joss is pleased to report that they are still happily married (to each other). Joss was born on the borders of East London and Essex and grew up in the area. Leaving Essex behind for Cambridge, she went on to have careers in British diplomacy and as a policy adviser on conflict and arms at Oxfam. Somewhere along the way she also gained a doctorate in English Literature from Oxford University. More recently she has written for children and young adults, winning national awards in both categories.

She has published over fifty novels that have been translated into many languages. She lives in Oxford. This is her first novel for adults.