Ben Timberlake is a security consultant and medic operating in high-risk environments, with a focus on Iraq and Syria. In a former career, he conducted undercover missions tackling nuclear terrorism, the Far Right, and the trafficking of humans, wildlife, looted antiquities, and organs. His writing has appeared in the Financial Times, The Guardian, and The Economist, and he has produced films for Channel 4 and Discovery on subjects ranging from Japanese mummies to prehistoric rock art.

For the cover of his critically acclaimed memoir High Risk—an exploration of war, addiction, and human behavior pushed to the edge—he selected Paco Pomet’s 2008 painting Internacional, where the eerie depiction of a ravenous Cookie Monster powerfully echoes the book’s unsettling themes.