Simon Michael practiced as a barrister for 37 years, working at the Old Bailey and other criminal courts, defending and prosecuting a wide selection of murderers, armed robbers, con artists and other assorted villainy, and gathering enough real life stories to populate an entire series of crime fiction. He has established a reputation as ‘the British John Grisham’ for his legal thriller series, featuring his antihero barrister, Charles Holborne, an East End villain made good, battling the prejudices of the 1960s, the Kray twins and the corrupt Metropolitan Police. The books – and Simon’s talk – draw from the headlines of the day, the criminal cases in which Simon was instructed and his own family history.