Carola Schouten, first female mayor of Rotterdam, travels by tram

For anyone who dreams of a bestseller, the story of Matthew Blake (45) is mouth-watering. After studying English, he started working as a speechwriter for the British Parliament. In his spare time he wrote his first thriller. After submitting Anna O, his publishing company received sixteen international bids within 48 hours. “A real pinch-me moment,” he says. The successor, Murder in Room 11, has now been published in Dutch.