The Smile of a Ghost

Phil Rickman (1950–2024) was a critically acclaimed crime writer, best known for his Merrily Watkins series, which has sold more than 350,000 to date and was adapted into the ITV series Midwinter of the Spirit. His books have been translated into a number of other languages including German. He was also the author of the #1 Kindle bestselling John Dee series and several novels of the paranormal, including two for children under the pen name Thom Madley. Born in Lancashire, Rickman spent most of his adult life in Wales and the Welsh Border country, where he won awards for his work as a BBC radio presenter and TV news reporter.

Emma Powell is an experienced voiceover artist who has performed for some of the world's most renowned theatre companies, including RSC, Almeida, and the National Theatre. She has voiced characters for BBC radio dramas as well as countless audiobooks, corporate projects, games and ads. In 2016, one of her audiobooks, Without a Trace by Lesley Pearce, was the most borrowed audiobook from British libraries, beating Harry Potter into second and third place. She voices the Phil Rickman thrillers, the fantasy Graceling Trilogy, and countless other novels.