Born in Zurich in 1967, Petra Ivanov spent her childhood in the U.S. and, after returning to Switzerland, studied translation at the Zurich School of Interpretation. She then worked as a translator, language teacher, and free-lance journalist in Zurich. From 2001 to 2006 she covered international aid projects for a Swiss relief organization, where she was confronted with topics such as human trafficking, migration, poverty, hunger and abuse. When her proposals for articles on these social problems were turned down by newspaper editors because “no one wants to read them”, Ivanov decided to write a crime novel as a way of reaching readers emotionally and drawing attention to the plight of people in need. The result was “Fremde Hände” (A Stranger’s Hands), which immediately became a bestseller. Today, Petra Ivanov is a full-time writer of both crime novels and novels for teenagers, and teaches creative writing classes.
“Fremde Hände” (A Stranger’s Hands) was published in 2005. Ivanov's main characters, police detective Bruno Cavalli and district attorney Regina Flint, continued solving crimes in “Tote Träume” (Buried Dreams, 2006), “Kalte Schüsse” (Gunshots in the Cold, 2007), “Stille Lügen” (Silent Lies, 2008) , “Tiefe Narben” (Deep Scars, 2010), “Leere Gräber” (Empty Graves, 2012), “Heiße Eisen” (Into the Fire, 2015), “Alte Feinde” (Old Enemies, 2018). “Erster Funke” (First Spark, 2017) is the prequel to the series.
In 2011, “Tatverdacht” (Suspicion) marked the beginning of a new series with private investigator Jasmin Meyer and Albanian defence attorney Pal Palushi. The series continued with “Hafturlaub” (Temporary Leave) in 2014 and "Täuschung" (Illusions) in 2016.
In addition, several short stories have been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies, among them “For Semira” in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.
In 2009 “Reset” marked Petra Ivanov's first foray into youth fiction, it was followed by “Escape” in 2010, “Delete” in 2011 and “Control” in 2012. In 2014, the reality youth novel “Geballte Wut” (Nothing but Rage) was published. “Crash” (2016) is a hi-lo book for reluctant readers.
“Schockfrost” (Cold Shock, 2017) is a psychological thriller by co-authors Devi & Ivanov.
