Chris Simms has worked in airports, nightclubs, post offices and telesales centres. Along with nominations for Crime Writer's Association Daggers and the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year award for his novels and short stories, Chris was selected by Waterstone's as one of their '25 authors for the future'. Chris says he is drawn to books that give insights into unusual minds. The twisted desires of Frederick in John Fowles', The Collector, the tormented thoughts of Scobie in Graham Greene's Heart of the Matter, the violent urges of Francie in Patrick McCabe's Butcher Boy - all are books that influenced Chris as a writer. The idea for his debut novel, Outside the White Lines, came to him in the early hours of the morning while broken down on the hard shoulder of the M40. His series of DI Spicer novels - psychological thrillers set very firmly in Manchester - follow the police detective's fortunes as he pursues criminal and deadly individuals through the city's ever-changing landscape. In October 2012 Chris launched a new series starring DC Khan, a new recruit to Manchester police's Counter Terrorism Unit.