Ian Hamilton has had a range of careers over the span of his life, from journalist to diplomat, but it wasn't until a health scare that he sat down to write his first novel. Ava Lee was the heroine that came to him and so the series was born. Hamilton's journalism has been featured in "Maclean's" and "Saturday Night" "Magazine." He is the author of "The Disciple of Las Vegas", "The Wild Beasts of Wuhan", "The Red Pole of Macau", and "The Water Rat of Wanchai". He lives in Burlington, Ontario, with his wife, Lorraine. He has four children and seven grandchildren.