A former newspaper journalist, Stephen Booth is the creator of two young Derbyshire police detectives, DS Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, who have so far appeared in 13 crime novels, all set in and around Englands Peak District.

The Cooper & Fry series has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and Detective Constable Cooper has been a finalist for the Sherlock Award for the Best Detective created by a British author. In 2003 the Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers most pleasure.”

The novels are sold all around the world, with translations in 15 languages, and are currently in development for a TV series. The most recent title is ALREADY DEAD, with a new book, THE CORPSE BRIDGE, due for publication in June 2014.

In recent years, Stephen has become a Library Champion in support of the UK’s ‘Love Libraries’ campaign. He has represented British literature at the Helsinki Book Fair in Finland, appeared with Alexander McCall Smith at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in Australia, filmed a documentary for 20th Century Fox on the French detective Vidocq, and taken part in online chats for World Book Day. But, most of all, he says he likes to stay at home and write.