| Stephen Leather | |
| Birth Date: | 1958 10, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Manchester, Lancashire, England |
| Nationality: | British |
| Education: | BSc in biochemistry[1] [2] |
| Alma Mater: | Bath University |
| Occupation: | Author |
| Years Active: | 1987–present |
| Known For: | Thriller books Dan Shepherd Mystery and Nightingale Series |
Stephen Leather (born 25 October 1958) is a British thriller author whose works are published by Hodder & Stoughton. He has written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock, and the BBC's Murder in Mind series.[3] [4] He is one of the top selling Amazon Kindle authors, the second bestselling UK author worldwide on Kindle in 2011.[5] [6]
Leather was born in Manchester. He grew up in Sale and Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and attended Manchester Grammar School.[7] He attended Bath University, where he obtained a BSc in Biochemistry in 1980.[2]
Leather was employed as a biochemist for ICI, shovelled limestone in a quarry, worked as a baker, a petrol pump attendant, a barman, and worked for the Inland Revenue.[2] He began his writing career as a journalist, working for newspapers such the Glasgow Herald, Daily Mirror, The Times, Daily Mail, and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.[8]
Leather began writing when he was in college; however, he "never managed to get beyond a few pages,"[9] and did not begin writing full-time until he had worked as a journalist for more than ten years.[8]
His first novel, Pay Off, was written while he was still employed at The Daily Mirror.[8] It was published from the "slush pile" at HarperCollins. The novel is a thriller about a merchant banker who takes revenge on two gangsters who killed his father. The book is set in Scotland, where Leather worked for five years on The Glasgow Herald as a business writer.
His second novel, The Fireman, was written while he was working as the business editor of the South China Morning Post.[9] [10] In The Fireman, a British tabloid journalist travels to Hong Kong to discover why his sister committed suicide. Both novels, and his third, Hungry Ghost, were published by HarperCollins.
Leather wrote his fourth novel, The Chinaman, while working as night news editor on the business desk of The Times in London.[8] [9] At the time, the Provisional Irish Republican Army's bombing campaign was at its height, and in The Chinaman, a Sino-Vietnamese man loses his family in an attack loosely based on the bombing of the Harrods department store in London. Having been turned away by the authorities, the man, a highly decorated Special Forces fighter in the Vietnam War, travels to Ireland and hunts down the people responsible.[8] [11] [12] The book was used as the basis for the 2017 thriller The Foreigner.[13]
Leather's novels frequently include themes of crime, imprisonment, military service, and terrorism. Settings are typically London and the Far East. Leather writes different series in slightly different genres. The main character of one series, Dan 'Spider' Shepherd, is a former Special Air Service soldier who becomes an undercover policeman. Another series, Jack Nightingale, is about a former police negotiator who becomes a private investigator;[14] this supernatural detective series is also published by Hodder & Stoughton and includes the books Nightfall, Midnight, Nightmare, Nightshade[15] and Lastnight, San Francisco, New York Night, Tennessee Night, The Whisper Man, Witch Hunt, New Orleans Night, Las Vegas Night, Rio Grande Night
Leather has written screenplays for London's Burning, The Knock, and the BBC's Murder in Mind series.[3] [16] [17] Two of his novels, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were screened for made for TV movies and filmed for Sky Television. The Stretch starred Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson, two popular soap opera stars from the U.K.[18]
Leather became successful in the Amazon Kindle market in 2010.[19] Amazon UK opened an eBook store that year. As reported in The Guardian, Leather anticipated that people buying eBooks would be seeking bargains, and he priced his books at the minimum price for independent writers in order to get his books into the top ten.[6] He then marketed the books on various forums online.[6]
Early in 2011, Leather's books The Basement, Hard Landing, and the vampire novella Once Bitten occupied the top three places in the UK Kindle bestseller list, a feat matched only by Stieg Larsson with his The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.[20] That same year, Leather was the second bestselling UK author on the Kindle worldwide, beaten only by Lee Child.[21] [22]
In 2002, Leather's book Tango One was nominated for the inaugural CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, awarded by the Crime Writers' Association.[23] [24] His book Hard Landing was nominated for the award in 2004.[25]
His book Cold Kill was nominated for Best Novel in 2007 by International Thriller Writers Inc.[26] In 2011, Leather sold over 500,000 eBooks and was voted by The Bookseller magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the UK publishing world.[12]
On 5 August 2012, journalist Nick Cohen wrote in The Observer that Leather had created phony Twitter accounts in the name of another writer, and used those accounts to praise Leather's own books.[27] Cohen quoted Leather's response to a question, as a panelist, at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, which was recorded for BBC Radio 4:[28]
"As soon as my book is out I'm on Facebook and Twitter several times a day talking about it. I'll go on to several forums, the well-known forums, and post there under my name and under various other names and various other characters. You build up this whole network of characters who talk about your books and sometimes have conversations with yourself."[27]
Leather's comment was widely reported,[29] [30] [31] [32] [33] and, on 3 September 2012, forty nine other British authors issued a group statement in which they "unreservedly condemn" the use of sockpuppets, or paid reviews.[34] [35] [36]
Jeremy Duns and Steve Mosby have alleged that Leather has harassed them online.[37] [38]
| Publication year | Title | Series | Original publisher | ISBN | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Pay Off | St. Martin's Press | Hardcover (1988), Paperback (2002), Audio Book (2011), and eBook (2009) | |||
| 1989 | The Fireman | St. Martin's Press | Hardcover (1990), Paperback (1996), Audio Book (2011), and eBook (2008) | |||
| 1991 | Hungry Ghost | HarperCollins | Hardcover (1991), Paperback (2008), Audio Book (2008), and eBook (2008) | |||
| 1992 | The Chinaman | Mike Cramer #1 | Pocket Books | Hardcover (1992), Paperback (1992), Audio Book (2007), and eBook (2008). Also published as The Foreigner (2017) | ||
| 1992 | The Double Tap | Mike Cramer #3 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (1996), Paperback (1997), and Audio Book (2006) | ||
| 1993 | The Vets | Pocket Books | Hardcover (1993), Paperback (1994), and eBook (2004) | |||
| 1994 | The Long Shot | Mike Cramer #2 | Hodder & Stoughton | eBook (2009) | ||
| 1996 | The Birthday Girl | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (1995), Paperback (2006), Audio Book (2007), and eBook | |||
| 1997 | The Solitary Man | Ulverscroft | Hardcover (2004), Paperback (1997), and Audio Book (2010) | |||
| 1997 | The Tunnel Rats | Ulverscroft | Hardcover (2004), Paperback (2006), Audio Book (2009), and eBook (2009) | |||
| 1999 | The Bombmaker | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (1999), Paperback (2005), Audio Book (2003), and eBook (2009) | |||
| 2000 | The Stretch | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2000), Paperback (2001), Audio Book (2001), and eBook (2009) | |||
| 2002 | Tango One | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2002), Paperback (2006), Audio Book (2004), and eBook (2009) | |||
| 2003 | The Eyewitness | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2003), Paperback (2003), Audio Book (2004), and eBook (2008) | |||
| 2004 | Hard Landing | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #1 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover, Paperback, Audio Book, and eBook | ||
| 2005 | Private Dancer | Three Elephants | Paperback and eBook | |||
| 2005 | Soft Target | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #2 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2005), Paperback (2005), Audio Book (2005), and eBook (2008) | ||
| 2006 | Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye | Monsoon Books | With Warren Olson | |||
| 2006 | Cold Kill | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #3 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover, Paperback, Audio Book, and eBook | ||
| 2007 | Hot Blood | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #4 | Hodder & Stoughton | Paperback and eBook | ||
| 2008 | Dead Men | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #5 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2008), Paperback (2008), Audio Book (2008), and eBook (2008) | ||
| 2009 | Live Fire | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #6 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2009), Paperback (2010), Audio Book (2009), and eBook (2009) | ||
| 2010 | Dreamer's Cat | Three Elephants | eBook | |||
| 2010 | The Basement | Amazon Encore | Paperback (2011), Audio Book (2012), and eBook (2011) | |||
| 2010 | Rough Justice | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #7 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2010), Paperback (2010), Audio Book (2010), and eBook (2010) | ||
| 2010 | Nightfall | Jack Nightingale #1 | Isis Large Print | Hardcover, Paperback, Audio Book, and eBook (2012) | ||
| 2011 | Once Bitten | Amazon Encore | Paperback (2011), Audio Book (2012), and eBook (2011) | |||
| 2011 | Bangkok Bob and The Missing Mormon | Monsoon Books | Paperback (2011) and eBook (2010) | |||
| 2011 | Fair Game | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #8 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2012), Paperback (2012), Audio Book (2011), and eBook (2012) | ||
| 2011 | Midnight | Jack Nightingale #2 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2011), Paperback (2012), Audio Book (2012), and eBook (2012) | ||
| 2012 | False Friends | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #9 | Hodder & Stoughton | |||
| 2012 | Nightmare | Jack Nightingale #3 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2012), Paperback (2012), Audio Book (2012), and eBook (2012) | ||
| 2013 | True Colours | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #10 | Hodder & Stoughton | |||
| 2013 | Nightshade | Jack Nightingale #4 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2013), Paperback (2013), Audio Book (2013), and eBook (2013) | ||
| 2014 | White Lies | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #11 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2014), and eBook (2014) | ||
| 2014 | Lastnight | Jack Nightingale #5 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2014), and eBook (2014) | ||
| 2014 | San Francisco Night | Jack Nightingale #6 | Three Elephants | Hardcover (2015), and eBook (2014) | ||
| 2015 | Black Ops | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #12 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2015), and eBook (2015) | ||
| 2015 | New York Night | Jack Nightingale #7 | Three Elephants | Hardcover (2015), and eBook (2015) | ||
| 2016 | First Response | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2016), and eBook (2016) | |||
| 2016 | Takedown | Lex Harper #1 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2017), and eBook (2017) | ||
| 2016 | Dark Forces | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #13 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover (2016), and eBook (2016) | ||
| 2016 | The Sandpit | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS #1 | CreateSpace | Novella | ||
| 2017 | Light Touch | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #14 | Hodder & Stoughton | |||
| 2018 | The Shout | Hodder & Stoughton | ||||
| 2018 | Last Man Standing | Hodder & Stoughton | ||||
| 2018 | Tall Order | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #15 | Hodder & Stoughton | |||
| 2018 | Moving Targets | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS #2 | CreateSpace | |||
| 2018 | Tennessee Night | Jack Nightingale #8 | Independently published | Paperback (2018), and eBook (2018) | ||
| 2019 | The Bag Carrier | Independently published | ||||
| 2019 | Rogue Warrior | Novella | ||||
| 2019 | Plausible Deniability | Lex Harper #2 | Independently published | Novella | ||
| 2019 | Short Range | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #16 | Hodder & Stoughton | |||
| 2020 | The Runner | Hodder & Stoughton | ||||
| 2020 | Slow Burn | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #17 | Hodder & Stoughton | |||
| 2021 | Fast Track | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #18 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook | ||
| 2022 | Dirty War | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #19 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook | ||
| 2023 | Clean Kill | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd #20 | Hodder & Stoughton | Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook |
| Publication year | Title | Series | Collection | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Cursed" | Jack Nightingale #1.5 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2011 | "Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish" | Inspector Zhang #1 | The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | Novella | |
| 2011 | "Inspector Zhang and the Falling Woman" | Inspector Zhang #2 | The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | Novella | |
| 2011 | "Inspector Zhang and the Dead Thai Gangster" | Inspector Zhang #3 | The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | Novella | |
| 2011 | "Inspector Zhang and the Disappearing Drugs" | Inspector Zhang #4 | The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | Novella | |
| 2012 | "Friendly Fire" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd | Spider Shepherd Short Stories (2013), Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 2 (2014) | ||
| 2012 | "Dead Drop" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd | Spider Shepherd Short Stories (2013), Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 2 (2014) | ||
| 2012 | "Still Bleeding" | Jack Nightingale #4.4 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2012 | "Inspector Zhang and the Perfect Alibi" | Inspector Zhang #5 | The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | Novella | |
| 2012 | "Breaking" | Inspector Zhang #6.1 | Short Fuses (2012) | ||
| 2012 | "Strangers on a Train" | Inspector Zhang #6.2 | Short Fuses (2012) | ||
| 2012 | "Inspector Zhang and the Hotel Guest" | Inspector Zhang #6.3 | Short Fuses (2012), The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | ||
| 2012 | "Cat's Eyes" | Inspector Zhang #6.4 | Short Fuses (2012) | ||
| 2012 | "Inspector Zhang Goes To Harrogate" | Inspector Zhang #7 | The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | Novella | |
| 2013 | "Hard Evidence" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd | Spiders Web (2013) | ||
| 2013 | "Hiatus" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd | Spiders Web (2013) | ||
| 2013 | "Hard Targets" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd | Spiders Web (2013), Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 1 (2014) | ||
| 2013 | "Kill Zone" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd | Spider Shepherd Short Stories (2013), Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 2 (2014) | ||
| 2013 | "Natural Selection" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 1 (2014) | ||
| 2013 | "Warning Order" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 1 (2014) | ||
| 2013 | "Hostile Territory" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 1 (2014) | ||
| 2013 | "Rough Diamonds" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 1 (2014) | ||
| 2013 | "Inspector Zhang and the Island of the Dead" | Inspector Zhang #8 | The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang (2014) | Novella | |
| 2014 | "Narrow Escape" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 1 (2014) | ||
| 2014 | "Personal Protection" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 2 (2014) | ||
| 2014 | "The Rope" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 2 (2014) | ||
| 2014 | "Planning Pack" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd: SAS | Spider Shepherd: SAS: Volume 2 (2014) | ||
| 2014 | "Remote Control" | Dan 'Spider' Shepherd | |||
| 2014 | "My Name Is Lydia" | Jack Nightingale #2.5 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2014 | "Blood Bath" | Jack Nightingale #4.5 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2014 | "Tracks" | Jack Nightingale #5.5 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2015 | "I Know Who Did It" | Jack Nightingale #4.6 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2015 | "The Whisper Man" | Jack Nightingale | Novella | ||
| 2016 | "Children of the Dark" | Jack Nightingale #5.6 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2017 | "The Cards" | Jack Nightingale #3.5 | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2017 | "The Creeper" | Jack Nightingale #5.7 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2017 | "The Asylum" | Jack Nightingale #5.8 | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2017 | "The Undead" | Jack Nightingale #5.9 | Nightingale - A Short Story Collection (2017) | ||
| 2017 | "The Doll" | Jack Nightingale #5.10 | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2017 | "The Mansion" | Jack Nightingale #5.11 | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2017 | "Possession" | Jack Nightingale #5.12 | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2017 | "Devilzone - A Jack Nightingale Screenplay" | Jack Nightingale | |||
| 2017 | "Wrong Turn" | Jack Nightingale | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2018 | "The House on Gable Street" | Jack Nightingale | |||
| 2018 | "Knock Knock" | Jack Nightingale | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2018 | "Watery Grave" | Jack Nightingale | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) | ||
| 2018 | "Claws" | Jack Nightingale | Nightingale 2 - A Short Story Collection (2018) |
| Date | Show title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–2003 | Murder in Mind | Wrote two of the first series episode (2001) and two episodes of the second series (2002). Also wrote an episode for the 2003 series. | |
| 2000 | The Bombmaker | Made for TV movie based on the book written by Leather | |
| 2000 | The Knock (Series 5) | Episode 2. 90-minute special | |
| 2000 | The Stretch | Made for TV movie based on the book written by Leather. Movie created, written, and produced by Leather | |
| 1999 | London's Burning | Episode 9 & 10. Screened March 2000 | |
| 1998 | The Knock (Series 4) | Episode 4, 5, and 6. Screened in 1999 |