Craig Russell was shortlisted for the 2007 Duncan Lawrie Award (formerly the Golden Dagger Award) and was nominated for the 2008 French Prix Polar. In addition, Russell is published in twenty territories world-wide. Russell's personal experiences as a police officer who once served in one of the most violent beats in Scotland (considered a punishment posting for some officers) have informed the writing of the Lennox series. After leaving the force, Russell became an advertising copywriter, then creative director, then freelance writer. Since 2004 he has been a full-time novelist writing the Jan Fabel series of Hamburg-set crime thrillers, which have been sold world-wide and achieved top ten bestseller status in Germany and a German language TV series in under way.