China Mieville, born in Norwich, but raised in Willesden, Northwest London is an academic and fiction author. He received a BA from The University of Cambridge for Anthropology and a MA and PHD in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Much of his writings revolve around fantasy and the supernatural. The 2009 novel The City in the City follows detective Inspector Tyador Borlu on his mission to resolve the murder of a foreign student Mahalia Geary. The novel is set in the cities of of Besźel and Ul Qoma which are geographically in the same space, but are recognized as two separate cities. There is always the imminent threat of one inhabitant seeing another inhabitant from the other city, and if this be the case it is a matter for “Breach” to solve. Borlu from the beginning recognizes the murder is for “Breach” as it involved the crossing of the illegal passage. The plot develops throughout Borlu’s Journey.

Interview's with China Mieville:

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/mieville_interview/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18181604