Jan Costin Wagner was born in 1972 in Langen/Hesse near Frankfurt. After studying German language, literature and history at Frankfurt University, he went on to work as a journalist and freelance writer. He divides his time between Germany and Finland (the home country of his wife). His previous crime novels featuring Detective Kimmo Joentaa are Ice Moon (2006) and Silence (2010). Silence won the 2008 German Crime Prize.