For acclaimed novelist Marcus Sakey, the best stories are about the worst people. The writer the Chicago Tribune named “the new reigning prince of crime fiction” has made a career out of exploring the shadows. Now, in the new Travel Channel series Hidden City, Sakey takes his storyteller’s eye on the road, digging into the crimes that reveal the character of a city.

If all you learn is from the tourist guide, Seattle is the same as Shanghai. To understand a place, you need to know its tales—especially the ones about bad behavior.

Visiting a dozen American cities, Sakey uses his experience tracking down the essence of a story to illuminate the crimes and criminals that shaped the place. Rappelling with SWAT, drinking with a bank robber, attending an autopsy, interviewing a porn star, stealing a car—it’s all in a week’s work. He’ll do whatever it takes to get in the heads of the characters that define the city.

As Marcus travels, he’s packing his preconceived notions, his attitude, and his willingness to be unimpressed. He walks the streets, meets the people, and takes a few bruises to reveal the Hidden City.

Sakey is the author of five bestselling novels: The Blade Itself, At The City’s Edge, Good People, The Amateurs, and The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes. His books have been nominated for more than a dozen awards, chosen among the year’s best by Esquire and The New York Times, and translated into dozens of languages. Three are currently in development as films.

Prior to writing, Sakey worked in advertising. He is an avid traveler and cook. Born in Flint, Michigan, he currently lives in Chicago with his wife.