Leigh Russell

My Geraldine Steel crime series has sold over 1.5 million copies and reached #1 overall on amazon. So far 19 books are available, published by No Exit Press, winner of the CWA Best Crime and Mystery Dagger Award 2019. Shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger Award, and the CWA Dagger in the Library, Geraldine Steel books have also twice been Finalists for the People’s Book Prize.

March 2023 sees the launch of Poppy’s Mystery Tales, which starts with Barking up the Right Tree. This is a cosy crime series featuring a small dog. Barking Mad is published in July 2023.

My reading is wide ranging, and I also enjoy writing in different genres, with two stand alone psychological thrillers, a dystopian novel, and a historical novel published in 2021.

In addition to running occasional creative writing courses, I support emerging writers with the CWA Criminal Critiques service which I set up and coordinate, and as Chair of the judging panel for the Crime Writers Association’s prestigious Debut Dagger Award. I work in schools and universities as a Royal Literary Fund Fellow, delivering writing workshops and offering one to one support with writing skills.