Mark Edwards (British writer)

Mark Edwards
Mark Edwards wearing a black coat, sitting at a desk during a book-signing, looking at camera from profile with slight smile
Edwards in 2022
Born1970 (age 55–56)
Kent, England
OccupationWriter
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
Genrethriller
Websitemarkedwardsauthor.com

Mark Edwards (born 1970) is an English novelist based in London. His books have sold over four million copies and been translated into 12 languages. Edwards writes primarily thrillers. His 2013 solo debut, The Magpies, and his 2022 novel, No Place to Run, were top ten Kindle bestsellers.[1] He has co-authored six books with Louise Voss.

Early life

Edwards was born in Kent, England, on 4 November 1970. He grew up in Hastings, East Sussex, where he attended Rye College. He graduated from Staffordshire University in 1993, with a degree in sociology. While pursuing a career as a writer, Edwards worked for the civil service and did customer service for a rail franchise and eventually a London-based book publisher. He also had a stint as an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan, while pursuing his first publishing deal.[2]

Career

In 1999, Edwards appeared in the BBC documentary Close Up: First Writes, which followed three writers at the start of their careers.[3]

In 2011, he self-published two novels co-authored with Louise Voss, Killing Cupid and Catch Your Death, through Kindle Direct Publishing.[2][4] This led to a four-book deal with HarperCollins.[5] In 2013, Edwards published his debut solo novel, The Magpies, which was a number-one bestseller and led to a deal with Thomas & Mercer.[1]

His 2019 novel Here to Stay received positive reviews, including one from critic Natasha Cooper, who wrote: "Mark Edwards has sold millions of copies of his domestic suspense novels. On the evidence of Here to Stay, his latest, it is not hard to see why."[6]

In 2024, Penguin Michael Joseph bought Edwards' thriller The Wasp Trap, the author's first solo traditional publishing deal.[7]

Influences

Edwards has said he is a fan of the American horror writer Stephen King, who has shaped the kind of stories he likes to tell, where "extraordinary, often scary, things [happen] to ordinary people". The works of both Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay influenced Edwards when he wrote No Place to Run. He has also cited Michael Connelly as an inspiration.[8]

Personal life

Edwards lives in Wolverhampton with his wife and their children.[9]

Novels

with Louise Voss

  • Killing Cupid (2012)
  • Catch Your Death (Kate Maddox #1) (2012)
  • All Fall Down (Kate Maddox #2) (2012)
  • Forward Slash (2013)
  • From the Cradle (Detective Patrick Lennon #1) (2014)
  • The Blissfully Dead (Detective Patrick Lennon #2) (2015)

Solo

  • The Magpies (The Magpies #1) (2013)
  • What You Wish For (2014)
  • Because She Loves Me (2014)
  • Follow You Home (2015)
  • The Devil's Work (2016)
  • The Lucky Ones (2017)
  • A Murder of Magpies (The Magpies #2) (2018)
  • The Retreat (2018)
  • In Her Shadow (2018)
  • Last of the Magpies (The Magpies #3) (2019)
  • Here to Stay (2019)
  • The House Guest (2020)
  • The Hollows (2021)
  • No Place to Run (2022)
  • Keep Her Secret (2023)
  • The Darkest Water (2024)
  • The Psychopath Next Door (2025)
  • The Wasp Trap (2025)
  • One of the Family (2026)

References

  1. 1 2 Frasier, Katie (18 October 2022). "Thomas & Mercer nets three-book deal with 'king of suspense' Edwards". The Bookseller.
  2. 1 2 Brodbeck, Sam (13 June 2017). "Publishers rejected me, but I went on to earn six-figures selling 1,000 books a day". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017.
  3. ↑ Hanks, Robert (29 September 1999). "Television Review". The Independent. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Mark Edwards: 'Traditional or self-publishing, the great thing is we have options now'". The Guardian. 25 June 2013. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Authors land book deal after their e-book chart success". BBC News. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Cooper, Natasha (September 2019). "Crime Round-up". Literary Review. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Heloise, Wood (29 May 2024). "Penguin Michael Joseph lures Mark Edwards with traditional publishing deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  8. ↑ Salvalggio, Karin (21 June 2022). "Mark Edwards: Proverbial needle, proverbial haystack". Bookanista. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  9. ↑ Edwards, Mark (27 June 2022). "My Writing Life: No Place to Run by Mark Edwards". Writing.ie. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
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