Ann Cleeves is the author of more than thirty-five critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez, and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television's Vera, Shetland, and The Long Call, respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. She is also author of the standalone crime novels Burial of Ghosts and The Sleeping and the Dead.

Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook, and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of 'Murder Squad', working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021, her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set.