Margaret Murphy
Encyclopedia
Biography
Murphy was born and brought up in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
where she gained a degree in Environmental Biology at the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
and later an MA with Distinction in Writing at Liverpool JMU
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
, a course on which she now lectures. She has been a countryside ranger, science teacher, dyslexia specialist and psychology student.
After a string of successful stand-alone novels, Murphy began her first series with The Dispossessed which was followed by Now You See Me, featuring fictional Merseyside detectives Jeff Rickman, Lee Foster and Naomi Hart.
Her novels have garnered critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic with The New York Times describing her prose as "skin-chilling". Short-listed for the First Blood Award and the Crime Writers' Association's "Dagger in the Library", Murphy is the founder of "Murder Squad" – a touring group of crime writers – and a committee member of the Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
. She is also 2006/7 Chair of the CWA Debut Dagger.
Murphy is a contributor to both BBC Radio Merseyside
BBC Radio Merseyside
BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of Merseyside and north Cheshire. It was the third BBC local radio station to launch on 22 November 1967 initially serving the south west of historic Lancashire....
's Drive Time and Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's The Message.
Novels
- Now You See Me (2005), Hodder (a Rickman and Foster novel)
- The Dispossessed (Nov 2004), Hodder & Stoughton (a Rickman and Foster novel)
- Weaving Shadows (2003), Hodder & Stoughton (a Clara Pascal novel)
- Darkness Falls (2002), Hodder & Stoughton (a Clara Pascal novel)
- Dying Embers (2000), Macmillan
- Past Reason (1999), Macmillan
- Desire of the Moth (1998), Macmillan
- Caging the Tiger (1997), Macmillan
- Goodnight, My Angel (1996), Macmillan
Short fiction
- False Light (2006) in Ellery Queen Magazine
- Epiphany (2006) in Ellery Queen Magazine
- False Light (2004) in Liverpool Stories, Comma Press
- Big End Blues and A Certain Resolution (2001) in Murder Squad Anthology, Flambard