Val McDermid

She has sold over 15 million books across the globe and has been translated into over 30 languages. She is perhaps best known for her Wire in the Blood series, which was adapted for television. Her numerous other books include a non-fiction work on forensics, and a modern reimagining of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. She has won many international awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year.

She is a Celebrity Mastermind champion, and in 2016 captained the winning University Challenge alumnae team. She has previously judged the Women’s Prize for Fiction and chaired the Wellcome Book Prize in 2017. A regular broadcaster with BBC Radio, her Radio 4 drama series, Resistance, was developed as a graphic novel, published in 2021.