AK Nairn is the pen name of award-winning business writer and adman Andy Nairn.
He was born and bred in the Scottish Borders, and grew up fascinated by the bloody history of this now-sleepy region.
In particular, he was drawn to the tale of a real-life French diplomat, who was given the thankless job of keeping order on the frontier.
The locals murdered this historical figure within a year but Andy felt he deserved more time in the sun (or at least in the icy wind and rain) so has resurrected and reinvented him for this series.
You can find out more about Andy via: