Leigh Russell is one of the UK's most prolific and successful crime writers. She studied English and American Literature at the University of Kent before pursuing a career in teaching. Her debut novel, Cut Short, introduced DI Geraldine Steel in 2009 and launched what has become one of the most enduring series in British crime fiction. There are now twenty-six Geraldine Steel novels, which have sold over two million copies worldwide and been translated into many languages. Cut Short was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger, and Leigh has since been longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association and lives in England, where she continues to write full time.