I was born in Devon in 1961, but grew up in Yorkshire. I was educated at
Millfield School in Somerset, and Merton College, Oxford, where I read History.
After University, I joined Saudi International Bank, a part-Saudi, part-American owned bank based in London. I started off my career as a credit analyst, but then became a bond trader, managing one of the largest junk bond portfolios in Europe. In 1991 I left bond trading to join Apax Partners, a venture capital firm.
My first novel, Free to Trade, was written during evenings and weekends over a four year period. When it was accepted for publication with a large advance, I gave up working in the City to become a full-time writer.
I went on to write seven more thrillers set in the worlds of business and finance, before turning my hand to something slightly different. The result, Where The Shadows Lie, the first in a series featuring an Icelandic detective named Magnus, was published in June 2010.
I am former Vice Chair of The Crime Writers Association and Treasurer of the Royal Literary Fund.
I am married to Barbara, an American, and live in Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, with our three children, Julia, Laura and Nicholas.
Please feel free to send me an e-mail if there is anything you would like to ask about my writing: comments@michaelridpath.com