The author Martin Mahle was born on the Isle of Lindau in the Lake of Constance. After completing his apprenticeship as a banker, he also completed his part-time studies as a bank economist. From 1985 on he worked for an internationally reknown banking group in Lindau, Regensburg, Günzburg and Munich. At present he works for this bank as a relationship manager for corporates in Augsburg and lives, together with his wife and children, in Neusäss. While serving with the German Army's 1st Mountain Division the German Federal Armed Forces medal of honour was awarded to him in late 1988. He is known for his espionage-thrillers '40', 'Beth Nahrin', 'Geheimnisvolles schwarzes Gold' (English Edition: 'Mysterious black Gold'), 'Neujahr', 'Sturm Schatten' and 'GENESIS'. Besides those he wrote the reference books 'Fußball ist Zufall!', 'Diamond T TEXACO Tanker Doodlebug' (bilingual English/German) and 'Das Phantom - Die Bodensee-Autobahn A 98'.