Adam LeBor is a British journalist and author, best known for his mystery and thriller novels. He was born in London and attended Leeds University, where he studied Arabic, international history, and politics. After graduating in 1983, he also studied Arabic at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. LeBor's peripatetic career in journalism began in several Fleet Street newspapers, where he worked on a wide range of stories, from investigating Nazi war criminals living in London to seeking out the best Martini in the city.
In 1991, LeBor became a foreign correspondent and moved to Budapest to cover the aftermath of the collapse of Communism. He also spent a significant amount of time in the former Yugoslavia, reporting on the wars in Bosnia and Croatia. After living in Paris for a year in 1997, LeBor wrote his debut novel, "The Budapest Protocol," which was published in 2009. He has since written for numerous publications, including The Times of London, The Sunday Times, The Economist, Monocle, The Times of London, The Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Jewish Chronicle. In addition to his journalism and fiction writing, LeBor is also a tutor of Journalism at Budapest’s Mathias Corvinus Collegium.
LeBor is the author of several non-fiction books, including "Hitler's Secret Bankers," which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. His books have been published in nine languages. His novels include the Yael Azoulay series, which began with "The Geneva Option" and continued with "The Washington Stratagem" and "The Reykjavik Assignment." He has also written a trio of critically acclaimed noir detective thrillers set in Budapest, featuring Balthazar Kovacs, a Gypsy detective in the Budapest murder squad. These books include "District VIII," "Kossuth Square," and "Dohany Street." LeBor has a particular interest in the interface between fact and fiction and is known for his in-depth investigative journalism.