Michael Russell is a highly regarded English author, best known for his Stefan Gillespie series of books. Born in England, he grew up in a family with strong Irish ties, where he was exposed to stories of murder, mayhem, and civil war in Ireland during the 1920s. These early experiences would later provide inspiration for his writing.
Russell has a background in television writing and production, having worked on long-running shows such as Emmerdale Farm and writing for programs like Eastenders and Midsomer Murders. This experience has given him a unique perspective on the writing process, allowing him to apply a more visual style to his characters and stories.
His debut novel, The City of Shadows, was the first in the Stefan Gillespie series and was published in 2012. The series is set in Ireland between the First and Second World Wars, a time and place that holds great personal interest for the author. The City of Strangers, the second book in the series, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Endeavour Historical Dagger Award for best historical crime fiction in 2014.
In addition to his work as a novelist, Russell has also translated and published a self-contained play-within-a-play from Karl Kraus's epic satire about the First World War, The Last Days of Mankind. The play, titled The Last Night, is available on Kindle by Forgotten Cities Press.
Russell lives with his family in West Wicklow, Ireland, where he continues to write and publish his Stefan Gillespie series.