Cath was brought up in Bradford and hoped to become an entomologist then a trapeze artist before settling on acting at the age of eight. She graduated from Birmingham University with a Drama and Theatre Arts degree and moved to work as a community artist in Manchester where she now lives with her family.

Looking for Trouble, published in 1994, launched private eye Sal onto Manchester’s mean streets. It was short listed for the Crime Writers Association’s John Creasey best first novel award, serialised on BBC Radio 4, Woman’s Hour and awarded Le Masque de l’Année in France. Since Looking for Trouble, Cath has published a further 24 novels including seven Sal Kilkenny mysteries. In 2006 Cath was short-listed for the CWA Dagger in the Library.

Cath is also a scriptwriter, writer for radio and creator of ITV’s hit police series, Blue Murder, which ran for five series from 2003 – 2009 starring Caroline Quentin as DCI Janine Lewis. Blue Murder has been sold around the globe in places as diverse as Fiji, Iceland and Yemen. Dead To Me, is a prequel to the popular Scott & Bailey TV show. Cath is a founder member of Murder Squad, a virtual collective of northern crime writers.

Cath’s latest standalone novels are The Girl in the Green Dress which tells the story of a transgender teenager killed in a hate crime and Fear of Falling about the struggles of a couple who adopt a traumatised child.