Stephen Booth Books

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Stephen Booth is an English author that writes crime fiction. Born in 1952 in Burnley, Lancashire, Booth’s parents (Jim and Edna) took him to Blackpool when he was two years old.

The author, who attended Arnold School, was drawn to writing at an early age. Besides editing school magazines, Booth was just 12 when he penned his first novel. Although, he still had a ways to go before making his mark on the publishing arena.

A former student at Birmingham City University, Booth was planning to become a teacher. In fact, he went to Manchester to train in the field. But the short period he spent as a trainee teacher was enough to scare him away from the profession.

Booth’s 25+ years in journalism began with a newspaper in Winslow, Cheshire. Eventually, the author lent his talents to The Guardian and Daily Express, not to mention several publications in places like Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

Booth had been freelancing for a while when his publishing career exploded. By the early 2000s, the author had won writing prizes and secured book deals for his crime novels.

The author blames his decision to leave journalism on the deteriorating regional newspaper industry. After plying his trade for over two decades, Booth realized that he hated the corporate arena that controlled journalism. He also noticed that newspapers and journalism opportunities were disappearing at an alarming rate.

Booth saw the writing on the wall. He had to escape before it was too late. Fortunately, he had a strong passion for fiction. The author started contemplating the possibility of pursuing a career as a novelist during his childhood.

When he released the first Cooper and Fry book, it performed well enough to justify the author’s decision to abandon his day job. He doesn’t regret the decision because his job disappeared soon after.

Booth thinks he’s a perfect fit for crime fiction because he has come across many former journalists who also write crime novels. Additionally, he thinks publishers appreciate his work ethic because he comes from a field that values discipline.

More importantly, former journalists do not mind being edited. Also, they understand the importance of meeting a deadline.

As a crime writer, the author is not interested in overwhelming his readers with violence and gore. Books of that nature have never interested him. He thinks that graphic violence is almost always unnecessary.

For that reason, he doesn’t describe the violence in his books. He wants to leave the details to the reader’s imagination. Booth emphasizes the consequences of the violence and the motives that led to its occurrence.

The author will also explore the factors that drive people to kill. He wants readers to understand the psyche of his murderers because many people in the real world kill for understandable reasons.

Stephen Booth Awards

Booth has won Barry Awards.

Best Stephen Booth Books

The author likes goats. Besides breeding the creatures, he has acted as a judge at British shows. Booth’s best books include:

Black Dog: If Ben Cooper had his way, they would have discovered Laura Vernon alive. Helicopters had flown to Northern England’s Peak District to find the 15-year-old.

But the detective had expected the worst, and eventually, it came to pass. Laura was dead. They discovered her body in the woods. Now, Cooper’s case has changed. He’s searching for a killer.

The detective has to start with the victim’s wealthy parents. However, he can’t rule out Harry Dickinson. The retired miner owns the dog that found the body.

Working beside Cooper is Diane Fry, an ambitious newcomer that can help cooper sift through the clues.

Dancing with the Virgins: Northern England’s Peak District has nine ancient stone monoliths called the Nine Virgins. The monoliths already harbored dark legends. The last thing Cooper needed was for a young dead cyclist to join the circle.

Someone posed her in a mocking dance. Cooper and Fry have their work cut out for them. Another woman suffered a similar attack. But the detectives cannot identify the connection between the victims.

Do they know each other? One of them carried a precious object, but what was it? Can they afford to ignore the mysterious drifters when they practice strange rituals? Cooper and Fry have more questions than answers.

When Does The Next Stephen Booth book come out?

Stephen Booth doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Drowned Lives and was released on August, 15th 2019.

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