John Gano is the pseudonym of Freddie Stockdale, whose two great passions of opera and criminology come together in his Floria Grand Opera Company books. In 1981 he founded the Pavilion Opera Company and is the author of several non-fiction works on the subject. The inevitable insight he has into the world of opera means that Arias of Blood, along with his previous book Death at the Opera, are gloriously authentic. His knowledge of criminology is equally well informed having specialised when reading law at Cambridge. He also spent several years as a prison visitor which giving him first-hand experience of prison life. John Gano is also the creator of the Inspector Proby series. Freddie Stockdale is married and lives in Sussex.