Patricia O’Sullivan is a writer and researcher on the lesser-known aspects of Hong Kong’s history prior to 1941. Stumbling upon an article concerning the death of her great-uncle in 1918 when he was an inspector in the Hong Kong Police, she quickly became immersed in the social history of colonial Hong Kong. Her research led to her first book, Policing Hong Kong: An Irish History.

As a specialist recorder teacher, in a career spanning three decades and more, she has had the joy both of introducing thousands of children to music and developing the skills and musicianship of senior students to diploma level and beyond. Now she has scaled down this side of her life to give more time to writing – and to spend more time in Hong Kong doing the research.

Her latest book is about some of the criminal women of early 20th-century Hong Kong: smugglers, arsonists, murderers and one ‘neighbour from hell’. Patricia’s website is at www.socialhistoryhk.com.