ABOUT ME
A bit about me and my books. I am an author of crime and historical fiction, including my new Shakespeare mysteries, the first of which, ‘A Serpent In The Garden’, will be published by Canelo in January 2025. Two more titles will follow, which will see a young William Shakespeare called upon to discover the truth about some suspicious Elizabethan deaths, while trying to navigate his way through the treacherous and Machiavellian court of Queen Elizabeth.
I am also the author of a series of crime fiction books for Penguin Random House set in the north east of England. Four of these featuring journalists Tom Carney & Helen Norton with detective Ian Bradshaw, who all appear in ‘The Chosen Ones’, ‘The Search’, 'Behind Dead Eyes’ and ‘No Name Lane'. My standalones for Penguin include ‘Don’t Let Him In’, ‘Alice Teale Is Missing’ and ‘The Inheritance’.
Two of my historical novels are set in WW2. ‘Hunting the Hangman’ tells the true story of the assassination of Nazi General, Reinhard Heydrich, and ‘Ungentlemanly Warfare’ is a novel featuring SOE agents, Harry Walsh and Emma Stirling and OSS agent, Sam Cooper. They are published in the UK (No Exit) and the US (Kensington Books).
My earlier novels, the David Blake books, have been optioned for TV by Harry Potter producer, David Barron and are also published by No Exit. The Times newspaper voted 'The Drop' one of its Top Five Thrillers of the Year and 'The Damage' one of its Top Summer Reads. Both books broke into the top five Amazon Kindle chart.
I’m honoured to be the ghost writer of ‘Surviving Hell’ which tells the true story of former Para, Nick Dunn, one of the Chennai Six, who were wrongfully imprisoned in India for years, having committed no crime. I’m also the ghost writer of ‘The Bodyguard’ which tells the incredible life story of Princess Diana’s former bodyguard Lee Sansum, who worked undercover in Northern Ireland during the troubles and later risked his life as a private contractor in Libya and Somalia.
On a far lighter note, I am also the writer behind ‘The Little Book Of Pintfulness’ a mindfulness spoof, which comprehensively proves that life is just better with beer. Please read responsibly.
Prior to becoming a full-time author, I led a series of different lives with a number of jobs, including barman, journalist, catering manager and marketing manager for a celebrity chef, as well as in a variety of sales and account management roles. I can confirm that writing books definitely beats working for a living.
I started writing many moons ago and was first published in the Newcastle United football fanzine, 'The Mag'. I then became a journalist and wrote for regional newspapers. I have also written for magazines and web sites and was once the English Premier League football correspondent for a Malaysian magazine. I've stopped all of that nonsense now, preferring to make up stuff instead and call myself an author.
I'm originally from Ferryhill in County Durham but, like most of the people I grew up with, I left the north east in search of work and never quite made it back. I am now settled in Hertfordshire with my lovely wife Alison and wonderful daughter Erin. I'm still a long-suffering Newcastle United fan but it is much better without Mike Ashley.
I am represented by the best Literary Agent in the UK, Phil Patterson at Marjacq. Catherine Pellegrino looks after my foreign rights there. My books have been published in nine countries. If you are Brad Pitt and you wish to play David Blake in a movie then Leah Middleton takes care of Film and TV rights:
Marjacq Scripts Ltd
The Space
235 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7LE
+44 (0) 20 7935 9499
Twitter - @MarjacqScripts
Administration - enquiries@marjacq.com