Jon Redfern was born in Alberta. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and has taught there and at York University, Centennial College, and the Siena-Toronto Centre in Italy. Redfern has also worked as a freelance journalist and story editor for the CBC. He lives in Toronto. His previous books include The Boy Must Die (winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel), Children of the Tide, and Trumpets Sound No More (winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel).