Andrew Martin grew up in Yorkshire. After qualifying as a barrister, he won The Spectator Young Writer of the Year Award, 1988, which deflected him into a writing career. After holding staff jobs on several papers and magazines, he became a freelance journalist in which capacity he has tended to write about the north, class, trains, seaside towns and eccentric individuals rather than the doings of the famous, although he did once loop the loop in a biplane with Gary Numan. He has written for The Guardian, the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, the Independent and Granta, among many other publications. His columns have appeared in ES Magazine, the Independent on Sunday and the New Statesman

His first novel, Bilton, was a satire on lifestyle journalism set in the near future. His second, The Bobby Dazzlers, was a crime novel set in contemporary York.

The Necropolis Railway, the first of the series of historical thrillers featuring the gauche young railwayman turned railway policeman, Jim Stringer, was published in 2002. It was followed by The Blackpool Highflyer, The Lost Luggage Porter, Murder at Deviation Junction and Death on A Branch Line. The sixth title in the series, The Last Train to Scarborough is published next year. All of these railway novels are published by Faber. Murder at Deviation Junction was short listed for the Ellis Peters Historical Crime Award 2007; and Andrew Martin was short listed for the Crime Writers’ Association Dagger In The Library Award 2008 for the entire series.

He has also edited a dictionary of humorous quotations: Funny You Should Say That, published by Penguin. His book explaining housework to his fellow men: How To Get Things Really Flat: A Man’s Guide to Ironing, Dusting and Other Household Arts is published by Short Books on October 2nd of this year. Andrew Martin has also written short stories and two episodes of the Radio Four detective series, Baldi, starring David Threlfall.