Tess Gerritsen always wanted to be a writer but she had to become an anthropologist, a doctor, a wife and a mother first.

As she explained in a spellbinding talk, Chinese-American immigrants need security and writing novels doesn’t generally tick the box.

While pregnant she won a writing competition which inspired a range of popular fiction. It eventually established a career which has seen her become an international phenomenon selling 40 million books as well as screenplays, essays and online blogs.

Her appearance at the Ropetackle for City Books kick-started a national tour to promote her latest medical crime thriller.

Die Again features homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, a character who has refused to die and has now become legendary.

Gerritsen was as much fun as her books.

Brilliantly fluent, she bounced on stage to ask the audience what they were frightened of as we must be scared of something.

She told us her Chinese mother loved horror movies because she could understand their visual impact: psychological scares don’t need much language.

Her particular talent lies in identifying our innermost fears and building them into stories with just enough truth to seem possible. Don’t read before bedtime.