Author Janet Quin-Harkin was born in Bath, England in 1941. She received a B.A. with honors from the University of London in 1963. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked for both BBC and Australian TV. She has written more than 100 books for children, young adults, and adults. She has written numerous books using her own name including Septimus Bean and His Amazing Machine and The Boyfriend Club series. Using the pen name Rhys Bowen, she has written three adult mystery series. She has received numerous awards including the 2001 Agatha Award for Best Novel for Murphy's Law and the 2004 Anthony Award for best short story for Doppelganger.