Born and currently based in London, Paul French lived and worked in China for many years. After a career as a widely published analyst and commentator on China he is now a full-time author, focusing on China and Asia in the first half of the twentieth century.

His true crime book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller, a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, a Mystery Writers' of America 'Edgar' award winner for Best Fact Crime, and a Crime Writers' Association (UK) 'Dagger' award for non-fiction. His Kirkus-starred book City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir focuses on the dancehalls, casinos and cabarets of wartime Shanghai. Both Midnight in Peking and City of Devils are being adapted for film and television.

French is a regular contributor to publications including the South China Morning Post, Literary Hub, Financial Times Weekend, Mekong Review, CNN, and Crime Reads. His audio drama productions include Death at the Airport: The Plot Against Kim Jong-nam for BBC Radio 4, Peking Noir for BBC Radio 3, and the twelve-part Audible Original, Murders of Old China. He is also co-host of the podcast China…What If?