Maxim Jakubowski (Chair)
Maxim worked for many years in book publishing as an editor and launched the Murder One Bookshop, which he owned and ran for over 20 years. He now writes, edits and translates full-time in London. The series The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime, which he edits and now at Volume 13, has printed many winners of the CWA Short Story Dagger. His website is maximjakubowski.co.uk.

Nic Parker

Nic Parker is a true kid of the 80s and stuck in this decade when it comes to music, films and neon colours. She’s been fascinated by all things obscure, mysterious and creepy since early childhood, and she’s a big fan of thrillers and horror. She has worked as a journalist for genre magazines and so far two of her books have been published, Descent To Hell and the short story collection Neon Shocks. She’s a sucker for Christmas and lives enslaved by seven cats with her husband in a rural part of Germany.

Meggy Roussel

Meggy Roussel’s love of languages led her to study professional translation before her love for books took over. She began reviewing books in 2016 on Chocolate’n’Waffles Blog and enjoys featuring novels from all over the world. She became a publishing professional to help books find their readers and support translated works of fiction. Most evenings, you are sure to find her on her favourite side of the couch with a crime fiction novel in one hand, a cup of tea in the other, and a slice of cake next to her.

Simon Kurt Unsworth

Simon Kurt Unsworth has written two thrillers set in Hell, The Devil’s Detective and The Devil’s Evidence, and six short story collections as well as co-writing a collection with his son, Benjamin Kurt Unsworth. He lives in the Lake District with his wife and various children and animals, swimming in lakes and rivers, eating pizza and writing whatever comes into his head, for which pursuit he was once nominated for a World Fantasy Award.

Sarah Ward

Sarah Ward is the author of four DC Childs novels set in the Derbyshire Peak District where she lives. She also writes Gothic historical thrillers under the name Rhiannon Ward. Her first, The Quickening, was a 2020 Radio Times book of the year and her second historical novel The Shadowing was a Daily Express critic’s favourite. She has also written Doctor Who audio dramas. She was an inaugural judge of the Petrona Award for tranlsated Scandinavian crime fiction.