Stephen Leather
Encyclopedia
Stephen Leather is an English
thriller author who writes pacy "action packed" novels in a style deliberately based upon the work of Jack Higgins
and Gerald Seymour
. His novels frequently include themes of crime, imprisonment and military service, and lately terrorism and the War on Terror
. Settings are typically London and the Far East. He is now published by Hodder & Stoughton
and has sold more than two million books in more than twenty languages.
and grew up in Sale and Chorlton-cum-Hardy
, and attended Manchester Grammar School
. After a career as a journalist - working for the Glasgow Herald, the Daily Mirror, the Daily Mail
, the South China Morning Post
and The Times
- he began writing fiction, and his first novel was published from the "slush pile
" at Harper Collins. He has since moved from England to the Far East, to the USA and Ireland, writing novels set in these countries.
Two of his novels, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were filmed for Sky Television
. He has also written for TV shows such as The Knock
, London's Burning
and the BBC
's Murder In Mind series.
His most recent novels (Hard Landing through to Rough Justice) have all featured SAS trooper turned undercover cop, Dan 'Spider' Shepherd as the hero.
Starting January 2010, Hodder and Stoughton will be releasing a new series by Leather, featuring an former police negotiator turned Private detective called Jack Nightingale. The first book in the series will be Nightfall.
Leather has also had success self-publishing a number of eBooks as he had "three novellas Hodder had turned down because they were in a different genre from my other books and too short to work as conventional paperbacks." With these three at the lowest price point allowed, he has topped the Amazon.co.uk eBook sales charts.
Olson is the actual Private eye featured in 'Confessions of a bangkok Private eye'
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
thriller author who writes pacy "action packed" novels in a style deliberately based upon the work of Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins is the principal pseudonym of UK novelist Harry Patterson. Patterson is the author of more than 60 novels. As Higgins, most have been thrillers of various types and, since his breakthrough novel The Eagle Has Landed in 1975, nearly all have been bestsellers...
and Gerald Seymour
Gerald Seymour
Gerald Seymour is a British writer.-Life:The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London...
. His novels frequently include themes of crime, imprisonment and military service, and lately terrorism and the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. Settings are typically London and the Far East. He is now published by Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
and has sold more than two million books in more than twenty languages.
Biography
Leather was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and grew up in Sale and Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
, and attended Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
. After a career as a journalist - working for the Glasgow Herald, the Daily Mirror, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, the South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
- he began writing fiction, and his first novel was published from the "slush pile
Slush pile
In publishing, the slush pile is the set of unsolicited query letters or manuscripts sent either directly to the publisher or literary agent by authors, or to the publisher by an agent not known to the publisher....
" at Harper Collins. He has since moved from England to the Far East, to the USA and Ireland, writing novels set in these countries.
Two of his novels, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were filmed for Sky Television
Sky Television
Sky Television may refer to:*British Sky Broadcasting in the United Kingdom**Sky Digital , the television network run by BSkyB...
. He has also written for TV shows such as The Knock
The Knock
The Knock was a primetime UK drama series, created by Anita Bronson and broadcast on ITV from 1994 to 2000, which portrayed the activities of customs officers from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise....
, London's Burning
London's Burning
London's Burning was a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall.It was broadcast between 1986 and...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Murder In Mind series.
His most recent novels (Hard Landing through to Rough Justice) have all featured SAS trooper turned undercover cop, Dan 'Spider' Shepherd as the hero.
Starting January 2010, Hodder and Stoughton will be releasing a new series by Leather, featuring an former police negotiator turned Private detective called Jack Nightingale. The first book in the series will be Nightfall.
Leather has also had success self-publishing a number of eBooks as he had "three novellas Hodder had turned down because they were in a different genre from my other books and too short to work as conventional paperbacks." With these three at the lowest price point allowed, he has topped the Amazon.co.uk eBook sales charts.
External links
Olson is the actual Private eye featured in 'Confessions of a bangkok Private eye'