About

* is the author of seventeen novels, numerous non-fiction works and is a film historian and expert on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes

* is a member of the national committee of the Crime Writers’ Association and has edited Red Herrings, their monthly publication, since 1999.

* is a member of The Detection Club

* edited Sherlock, the crime fiction magazine for ten years from 1996 to 2006 and is an invested member of the Baker Street Irregulars

* has contributed many short stories to various anthologies including Crime in the City (Do Not Press); Murder Through the Ages (Headline); The Mammoth Book of Comic Crime (Robinson); The Dickensian Whodunits (Constable); Crime Scenes (Wordsworth); and The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 2014 (Constable & Robinson).

* is the author of two one-man plays about Sherlock Holmes, starring Roger Llewellyn and directed by Gareth Armstrong. The first, Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act premiered at Salisbury Playhouse in 1999 and toured for ten years and the second, Sherlock Holmes: The Death and Life, premiered at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, in March 2008 to excellent reviews. Both plays have been recorded by The Big Finish on audio CD.

* is currently the General Editor for Wordsworth Editions’ successful Mystery & Supernatural series

* writes Afterwords and Introductions for Collector’s Library

* has given presentations at many literary festivals and venues including Bouchercon, The Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, CrimeFest, Bristol, Bloody Scotland, the House of Commons, the National Media Museum in Bradford, the National Arts Club in New York and on the Queen Mary II

* was a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund at Huddersfield University from 2012-2015

* has written a collection of ghost stories, The Hallowe’en Mask (Mystery Press), published in September 2014

* wrote the script for Knaresborough Kaleidoscope, a multi-media son et lumiere entertainment to help celebrate the Tour de France passing through Yorkshire in July 2014

* was born in Huddersfield, where he lives with his wife, Kathryn

* studied English at Leeds University and was a teacher for twenty years before becoming a full time writer

* was 'an untidy worker' as a little boy but as the school report below for the eight year old David says, 'his written English does show a lively sense of imagination.' He is still practising his multiplication tables..