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Andrew Taylor

(b.1951)

aka Andrew Saville

Andrew Taylor is a British crime and historical novelist, winner of the Cartier Diamond Dagger (for lifelong excellence in the genre) and many other awards. His books include the international bestseller, The American Boy (a Richard and Judy selection); the Roth Trilogy (filmed for TV as Fallen Angel); The Anatomy of Ghosts, shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year; The Scent of Death, winner of the Historical Dagger; and The Silent Boy.

He is also the author of three Kindle Singles novellas - Broken Voices; The Leper House; and The Scratch.

He lives on the borders of England and Wales. He is the Spectator's crime fiction reviewer.

Awards: HWA (2020), CWA (2013) see all

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical, Horror

New and upcoming books

June 2025

A Schooling in Murder

Series

Dougal
   1. Caroline Minuscule (1982)
   2. Waiting for the End of the World (1984)
   3. Our Fathers' Lies (1985)
   4. An Old School Tie (1986)
   5. Freelance Death (1987)
   6. Blood Relation (1990)
   7. The Sleeping Policeman (1992)
   8. Odd Man Out (1993)

Bergerac (as by Andrew Saville)
   Bergerac Is Back (1985)
   Crimes of the Season (1985)
   Bergerac and the Fatal Weakness (1988)
   Bergerac and the Jersey Rose (1988)
   Bergerac and the Traitor's Child (1989)
   Bergerac and the Moving Fever (1990)

Blaines
   1. The Second Midnight (1987)
   2. Blacklist (1988)
   3. Toyshop (1990)

Lydmouth
   1. An Air That Kills (1994)
   2. The Mortal Sickness (1995)
   3. The Lover of the Grave (1997)
   4. The Suffocating Night (1998)
   5. Where Roses Fade (2000)
   6. Death's Own Door (2001)
   7. Call the Dying (2004)
   8. Naked to the Hangman (2006)

Roth
   1. The Four Last Things (1997)
   2. The Judgement of Strangers (1998)
   3. The Office of the Dead (2000)

James Marwood and Cat Lovett
   1. The Ashes of London (2016)
   2. The Fire Court (2018)
   3. The King's Evil (2019)
   4. The Last Protector (2020)
   5. The Royal Secret (2021)
   6. The Shadows of London (2023)

Novels

   The Private Nose (1989)
   Snapshot (1989)
   Double Exposure (1990)
   The Raven On the Water (1991)
   Negative Image (1992)
   The Barred Window (1993)
   The Invader (1994)
   The American Boy (2003)
     aka An Unpardonable Crime
   A Stain On The Silence (2006)
   Bleeding Heart Square (2008)
   The Anatomy of Ghosts (2010)
   The Scent of Death (2013)
   The Silent Boy (2014)
   A Schooling in Murder (2025)

Collections

Waiting For Mr Right (2012)

Novellas and Short Stories

   The Leper House (2014)
   The Scratch (2014)
   The Writing House (2016)
   Broken Voices (2017)

Series contributed to

Bibliomysteries / Death Sentences
The Long Sonata of the Dead (2013)

Omnibus editions show

Books containing stories by Andrew Taylor

Playing Dead (2025)
Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club
edited by
Martin Edwards

Music of the Night (2022)
(Crime Writer's Association Anthology)
edited by
Martin Edwards

Vintage Crime (2020)
(Crime Writer's Association Anthology)
edited by
Martin Edwards

More books

Awards

	2020 HWA Gold Crown Award : The King's Evil
	2013 CWA Historical Dagger : The Scent of Death
	2009 CWA Diamond Dagger
	2003 CWA Historical Dagger : The American Boy
	2001 CWA Historical Dagger : The Office of the Dead
	1982 John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger : Caroline Minuscule

Award nominations

	2021 HWA Gold Crown Award (longlist) : The Last Protector
	2020 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : The King's Evil
	2019 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : The Fire Court
	2017 HWA Gold Crown Award (longlist) : The Ashes of London
	2017 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : The Ashes of London
	2016 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : The Silent Boy
	2015 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : The Silent Boy
	2015 CWA Historical Dagger (shortlist) : The Silent Boy
	2011 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : The Anatomy of Ghosts
	2011 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : The Anatomy of Ghosts
	2010 CWA Historical Dagger (shortlist) : The Anatomy of Ghosts
	2009 Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel (nominee) : Bleeding Heart Square
	2008 CWA Historical Dagger (shortlist) : Bleeding Heart Square
	2005 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : The American Boy
	2005 Richard and Judy Award (nominee) : The American Boy
	2004 CWA Dagger in the Library (shortlist)
	2004 Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel (nominee) : The American Boy
	1985 CWA Gold Dagger (shortlist) : Our Fathers' Lies
	1984 Edgar Award for Best First Novel (nominee) : Caroline Minuscule

Andrew Taylor recommends

Any Human Power (2024)
Manda Scott
"Any Human Power is a polemical thriller like no other, an absorbing manifesto to change the world. It constantly surprises. Manda Scott's characters play havoc with your emotions, her narrative keeps you turning the pages, and her ideas might just change your life."

The Book of Secrets (2024)
Anna Mazzola
"Compelling and brilliantly atmospheric. A powerful story of women fighting to gain control of their lives by any means they can."

Knife Skills For Beginners (2024)
(Paul Delamare, book 1)
Orlando Murrin
"A lethally delicious souffle of a crime novel - light and witty at first taste, but with rich, dark undertones. I loved the combination of crime and cookery - and how Orlando uses the one to enrich the other (and vice versa). I can see this developing into a wonderful series with memorable recurring characters."

The Next to Die (2023)
(Dylan Kasper, book 1)
Elliot Sweeney
"The Next to Die is a remarkably assured debut. It oozes the sour tang of authenticity, mingling psychiatry and crime with the mean streets of London. Kasper has the hallmark of the classic crime fiction protagonist, brutal but with an underlying compassion."

The Interview (2022)
C M Ewan
"Brilliant and almost impossible to put down."

The Bloodless Boy (2021)
(Hunt and Hooke, book 1)
Robert J Lloyd
"An intriguing confection of history and fiction. The novel cleverly combines murder investigation and political intrigue with the pioneering scientific work of Robert Hooke and his colleagues at the Royal Society. Bravo!"

Black Drop (2021)
(Laurence Jago, book 1)
Leonora Nattrass
"Black Drop is a joy from start to finish. I particularly liked the glimpses of the grubby machinery of government from the inside, giving a real sense of the intrigues behind closed doors. Jago is a very sympathetic hero, with all his flaws, virtues and secrets, and Philpott made me want to smile and cheer."

The Infernal Riddle of Thomas Peach (2021)
Jas Treadwell
"An extraordinary novel . . . a tour de force."

Fragile (2021)
Sarah Hilary
"Extraordinary . . . an immersive psychological thriller that plunges us into an underworld of emotional and physical exploitation. There are shades of Highsmith . . . Brilliant stuff."

The Drowned City (2021)
(Daniel Pursglove, book 1)
K J Maitland
"A dark and enthralling historical novel with a powerful narrative. The mysterious Daniel Pursglove has all the qualifications for a memorable series hero."

Midwinter Murder (2020)
(Murder For All Seasons)
Agatha Christie
"A hundred years after her first novel, and we are all still standing in her shadow."

Vintage Crime (2020)
(Crime Writer's Association Anthology)
Martin Edwards
"For more than sixty years, the CWA has done more for British crime writing than any other organisation."

The Honey and the Sting (2020)
E C Fremantle
"A powerful reimagining of the most dramatic murder of Stuart England. Wonderfully inventive and darkly satisfying, this story of three sisters resonates with myth."

Liberation (2020)
Imogen Kealey
"What a story, and Imogen Kealey tells it brilliantly. This is more than a heart-stopping and exciting adventure thriller: Nancy Wake is a heroine for our times, as well as for hers. The most extraordinary thing of all is that in its essentials, the story is true."

The Doll Factory (2019)
Elizabeth Macneal
"The Doll Factory is brilliant, with a refreshingly original quality, beautifully orchestrated narrative, great characters and some fascinating background detail."

Shadows of Athens (2019)
(Philocles, book 1)
JM Alvey
"Intriguing . . . a refreshingly different setting portrayed with a convincing air of authenticity. I hope it's the first of many."

Blood & Sugar (2019)
Laura Shepherd-Robinson
"A striking historical thriller that exposes the horrors of Britain’s slave trade . . . Few first novels are as accomplished as this."

While You Sleep (2018)
Stephanie Merritt
"While You Sleep makes for utterly riveting bedtime reading. Steph has taken familiar ingredients and made something fresh and frankly terrifying from them. I loved it."

The Coffin Path (2018)
Katherine Clements
"Like something from Emily Bronte's nightmares."

A High Mortality of Doves (2016)
(Albert Lincoln, book 1)
Kate Ellis
"A splendidly macabre thriller with a very dark heart and a hugely effective twist at the end."

The Devil in the Marshalsea (2014)
(Tom Hawkins, book 1)
Antonia Hodgson
"A wonderfully convincing picture of the seamier side of eighteenth-century life. Antonia Hodgson has a real feel for how people thought and spoke at the time and, God knows, that's a rare talent."

Shadow of the Past (2008)
(Tobias Campion, book 2)
Judith Cutler
"Cracking... streets ahead of most historical crime fiction."

The Fabric of Sin (2007)
(Merrily Watkins, book 9)
Phil Rickman
"A highly sophisticated crime novel... grips like a clamp."

Ratcatcher (2006)
(Matthew Hawkwood, book 1)
James McGee
"Ratcatcher is a richly enjoyable and impressively researched novel - also very gripping. James McGee is clearly a rising star in the historical galaxy and I look forward to Hawkwood's return."

The Conjuror's Bird (2005)
Martin Davies
"Like all the best novels, The Conjurer's Bird left me with the sense of having learned something. . . . Poignant and beguiling."

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