About the authors
Olivier Norek
Olivier Norek is a bestselling French novelist and screenwriter whose acclaimed thrillers have sold over 3 million copies and been translated into numerous languages. After working in humanitarian aid during the war in the former Yugoslavia, he spent 18 years in the French police, rising to the rank of capitaine in the Seine-Saint-Denis criminal investigation unit.
Drawing on this experience, he is the author of the highly praised Banlieues trilogy (The Lost and the Damned, Turf Wars, Breaking Point), the powerful social novel Between Two Worlds, and the gripping thriller Surface. His latest novel, The Winter Warriors (Open Borders Press, 2025), marks a shift to historical fiction. It has been hailed as a “masterpiece” by Le Figaro and winner of the 2024 Prix Renaudot des Lycéens.
- Picture: Pauline Darley
Abir Mukherjee
Abir Mukherjee is the Times bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in Raj-era India which have sold over half a million copies worldwide and been translated into 16 languages. His books have won numerous awards including the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, the British Book Awards Crime & Thriller Novel of the Year, the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Européen, the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing and the Amazon Publishing Readers Award for E-book for the Year.
Alongside fellow author, Vaseem Khan, he also hosts the popular Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast, where every fortnight, joined by special guests from the media and literature, he takes a wry look at the world of books, writing, and the creative arts, tackling everything from bestsellers to pop culture.
- Picture: Stuart Simpson
Nick Caistor
Nick Caistor is a British writer and translator, and was for many years a senior producer at the BBC World Service. He has published biographies of Ernesto “Che” Guevara and Fidel Castro, as well as guides to Buenos Aires and Mexico City. He has translated works by authors including Isabel Allende, Eduardo Mendoza, Juan Marsé, Philippe Claudel, Paul Fournel, and five novels by Olivier Norek.
