Abir Mukherjee is the London Times bestselling author of the Sam Wyndham series of crime novels set in Raj–era India, which have twice won the CWA Endeavour Dagger for best historical crime novel. His second novel, A Necessary Evil, won the Wilbur Smith Award. His third novel, Smoke and Ashes, was chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 Best Crime & Thriller Novels since 1945.

Simon Bubb is an audiobook narrator known for his subtlety, nuanced tone, and facility with accents as an integral component of his narration, according to AudioFile magazine.