Mark Lavery

I was educated at Stonyhurst College, which claims Arthur Conan Doyle as an alumnus, and perhaps my love of writing and suspense fiction was born in those formative years under the brooding presence of Pendle Hill. Following school and Bristol University, inspired by Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” I packed a rucksack and hitch-hiked my way across the USA. This was an era when willingly getting in a stranger’s car was normal behaviour, not as now, deranged. And when instantaneous access to parental help or money via a mobile phone, was not available. During those years in my early twenties, I learned about life, self-sufficiency, and the innate generosity of strangers. Keeping me company on Route 66 however, there was always an Agatha Christie or John Dickson-Carr to keep loneliness at bay.
I enjoyed a successful business career in the Recruitment Industry which spanned forty years and three continents. This brought me into contact with a host of intriguing characters I draw on to inform many of the personalities in my writing. Although my work allowed me to live and work in cities like Sydney, as a Yorkshireman, I’m always drawn home. To the fantastic landscapes, the vibrant cultures, and the weird and wonderful people that live here. In 2019, following the sale of my business, I put my love of crime thrillers on a more creative footing. I began writing and worked with the Cornerstones Literary Agency Scouting programme under the mentorship of author Mark Leggatt, and the watchful eye of McIllvanney nominee Neil Broadfoot. Best served Cold was my first crime novel, which I self-published in 2022. I completed my second novel, The Breadcrumb Trail, in March 2023. I am married with three children and live in Harrogate.