Julian Lees was born and raised in Hong Kong.
He currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with his wife and children.
The great-grandson of a high-ranking Cossack officer who served under the last Tsar of Russia, Julian is a writer who draws from his family's rich history.His novels are set in a world where East meets West, a cross-cultural world which he captures bewitchingly and dramatically in his fiction

THE BONE RITUAL, the first in a crime series set in contemporary Jakarta and introducing detective Ruud Pujasumarta, has been nominated for the CWA Gold Dagger Award 2017. It was published in October 2016 by Little, Brown Books on the Constable list. Publishing director Krystyna Green says: “We are delighted with this two-book acquisition as the exotic location and vast cast of local characters is original and colourful, and a far cry from the dark thrillers of Scandinavia or inner cities of the UK.”

Julian is also the author of the novels THE FAN TAN PLAYERS (entered for the 2010 MAN Asian Literary Prize) and THE HOUSE OF TREMBLING LEAVES, published in February 2013 by Sandstone Press in the UK and by Blanvalet/Random House in Germany.
His novels have been translated into five languages.

Represented by Kate Hordern of the Kate Hordern Literary Agency he is also a contributor to writing blogs and magazines.

From Cambridge to Malaysia and a nunnery in the mountains of Tibet across the twentieth century, THE HOUSE OF TREMBLING LEAVES is the story of two mothers and one daughter, of war and survival. Rosy Thornton, author of NINEPINS and THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE, calls it "a compelling novel about the power of female friendship, transcending war, time and separation".

Praise for THE HOUSE OF TREMBLING LEAVES:

“No one can accuse Julian Lees of being a stick in the mud for story locations. His last book, THE FAN TAN PLAYERS was set in Macau and now he's gone for a quadruple siting, taking us to Malaysia, Cambridge, Tibet and India in the comfort of our own homes and some superlative writing.”
The Bookbag

“This is a book with a nice flowing style, well rounded major characters, all with a story to tell... It's the sort of book where you just keep wanting to read 'one more chapter'.”
The Little Reader Library

“THE HOUSE OF TREMBLING LEAVES gave me the sense that I was onto a good read from the very first pages... The array of colourful distinctive characters is what makes the story so engaging and powerful...it's an excellent read.” Book Diva