Mike Nicol is a distinguished author from South Africa, known for his nonfiction thriller and mystery books. He has also made a name for himself as a journalist and a teacher of online courses on non-fiction narrative and creative writing. Although he currently resides in Cape Town, Nicol has had the privilege of serving as a writer-in-residence in both Berlin and the University of Essen.
Born and raised in Cape Town, Nicol received his education in both his hometown and Johannesburg. It was in Johannesburg that he began his professional journey as a journalist. In the 1980s, Nicol returned to Cape Town and worked for the magazine Leadership for several years. His literary career took off towards the end of the 1980s when he published his first novel, The Powers That Be, and decided to leave his job at the magazine to pursue a career as a freelance journalist and writer, a decision that would ultimately prove to be a significant turning point in his life.