Holly Watt is a highly acclaimed international thriller author and journalist, based in the United Kingdom. She began her journalism career at the "Sunday Times" before moving on to the "Daily Telegraph," where she served as the leader of the investigations team and Whitehall Editor for six years. Following her tenure at the "Telegraph," Watt joined the "Guardian's" investigations team. Over the years, she has received several nominations for prestigious journalism prizes and won numerous awards, most notably for her work on the "Panama Papers" and "MPs' Expenses" at the "Telegraph."\n \nWatt's reporting has taken her to various countries around the world, including Lebanon, Afghanistan, Jordan, Bangladesh, and Libya. In 2008, she worked at the "Post" after winning the Laurence Stern Fellowship. During her time at the "Telegraph," she was nominated for the Scoop of the Year five times and was shortlisted for Political Journalist of the Year and News Reporter of the Year in 2011, as well as Young Journalist of the Year in 2010.
Watt's first novel, "To The Lions," won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller of the year in 2019. Her second book, "The Dead Line," was named one of the Thrillers of the Year by The Times and the FT. The Casey Benedict series continues with "The Hunt" and "The Kill," both of which were published in 2021 and were also Times Thrillers of the Year. The Casey Benedict series has been optioned by the producer of "The Night Manager" and "The Undoing," which starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. Prior to writing novels, Watt was a leading investigative journalist, having started her career at the "Sunday Times" and later moving to the "Daily Telegraph." She has been nominated for a wide range of journalism prizes, winning awards for her work on stories including "MPs’ Expenses" at the "Telegraph" and the "Panama Papers" at the "Guardian." Watt has reported from countries all around the globe, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Jordan, and Lebanon. She now spends most of her time in Devon.