Jenny Rogneby was born in Ethiopia, but was given away for adoption when she was one year old. She grew up in northern Sweden, studied criminology at Stockholm University, and became an investigator in the Stockholm City Police Department. Her work inspired her to create the character of Leona and write this best-selling crime novel, the first in the Leona series. Before her career in law enforcement, Rogneby was a singer and member of the pop group Cosmo4