John Connolly (Literature award) Crystal.

John Connolly was born in Dublin and at various points in his life has worked as a journalist, barman, a local government official, waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods in London. But it is for his series of best-selling books that he is best known and loved.

John studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University before moving into newspapers. His first novel Every Dead Thing was published in 1999 and introduced the character of Charlie Parker - a former policeman hunting the killer of his wife and daughter. It met with immediate critical acclaim and launched John on the path to literary success.

Dark Hollow followed in 2000 and the third Charlie Parker novel The Killing Kind was published a year later with The White Road following in 2002.

In 2003 John published his fifth novel and first stand-alone book Bad Men. Since then he has written a collection of novellas and short stories entitled Nocturnes, two more Charlie Parker novels and The Book of Lost Things - about fairy stories and the power that books have to shape our world and our imaginations.

He is currently working on The Reapers which is expected to be published next year. If his past record is anything to go by it looks destined to be on the best-seller lists for many months.