Marnie Riches

Marnie Riches is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed author, published in several genres. Her first books to appear in print were historical adventures for children, but Marnie’s writing quickly gravitated towards adult crime thrillers. Her best-selling debut in the genre – The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die (HarperCollins 2015) – won a Dead Good Reader Award. It was the first of five books to feature main protagonist, Dr Georgina McKenzie – a criminologist who works with the Dutch police. Set partly in Amsterdam, the Euro-Noir series tackles the issues surrounding trans-national trafficking.

Inspired by growing up on a rough Manchester estate in the 1980s, Marnie also writes about Manchester and its infamy as the UK’s most violent city. She has authored three mini-series set in the region, tackling the notorious gang warfare that regularly rocks the city, as well as the deadly secrets that the well-heeled suburbs keep. Marnie also pens historical sagas about post-war Manchester under the pseudonym, Maggie Campbell (Orion).

With a Masters in Modern & Medieval German and Dutch from Cambridge University, Marnie first enjoyed a career in professional fundraising, working mainly for large youth charities. Writing website content, marketing material and funding bids for more than a decade buffed her copy-writing and editorial skills until they gleamed. Marnie set up the inaugural Commonword/Puffin/RCW “Diversity in Children’s Fiction” prize, delivering the children’s writing workshops herself. She has also tutored the Faber Academy’s novel-writing course.

She lives with her noisy, music-obsessed family in the North West, gardening when the rain permits.