Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as runner-up in the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. The critically acclaimed Beton Rouge, Mexico Street, Hotel Cartagena and River Clyde all followed suit in the Chastity Riley series, with The Acapulco reloading the series. She is on the board of PEN Berlin, and is at the forefront of the lobbying movement for fair pay for authors. Simone Buchholz’s Festival appearance is generously supported by the Goethe-Institut.