Christopher Brookmyre Books In Order

Publication Order of Jack Parlabane Books

Publication Order of Angelique De Xavier Books

Publication Order of Jasmine Sharp Investigations Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

A Scottish author, the novelist Chris Brookmyre is a highly renowned and equally respected author of thriller and suspense novels. With a gift for tension and drama, he’s also well known for his ability in crafting well drawn characters alongside engaging narratives. This has allowed him to become one of the most prolific authors within his field to date, with a number of series currently under his belt.

Early and Personal Life

Born in 1968 on the 6th of September, Christopher Brookmyre was born and raised in Scotland, growing up in the city of Glasgow. With a keen interest in both reading and writing, he harbored a passion for the written word from an early age. Harnessing this throughout the years, he would refine and hone his skills as a writer, articulating and strengthening his voice.

Attending St. Mark’s Primary School in Barrhead where he grew up, he would continue to harness his love of literature throughout his formative years. Later he went to St. Luke’s High School, before later going on to attend and graduate from the University of Glasgow. All this helped him to gain the academic background he needed in taking him and his respective writing career forwards.

With a past in journalism he soon turned his hand to writing fiction full-time, something which can be seen reflected in hi Jack Parlablane novels. He also takes a lot of his influences from other writers as well, along with his keen interest in technology too. This has all seeped into his work informing his material greatly throughout the many years of his long and illustrious career.

Currently still writing, Christopher Brookmyre continues to put out work at a regular and ever consistent pace. With a lot more to come in the near future, this is something that doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon either. Writing from his home in Scotland, he has a lot more titles on the way, something that will carry on for some time yet.

Writing Career

Bringing out his first book back in 1996, he made his debut onto the literary scene with the title ‘Quite Ugly One Morning’. This was also to be the first in the ongoing series of ‘Jack Parlablane’ novels, which he would subsequently release throughout his writing career. Setting up his career as an author, it managed to establish his fictional style, with his presence as a writer already having been firmly grounded.

Quickly Jack Parlablane would become a ling-running and highly successful character for the author Chris Brookmyre. Following the intrepid investigative journalist, it would see Brookmyre put a lot of his own experience in, making the character more in-depth and realistic in the process. Other series would also include his ‘Angelique De Xavier’ series of novels, along with his ‘Sharp Investigations’ franchise too.

Being highly vocal on his craft as well, he’s made a number of appearances within the general press and the media. He’s also had his aforementioned debut novel ‘Quite Ugly One Morning’ made into an ITV television series in the UK, which consisted of two parts. There’s also been a BBC Radio 3 play of his short-story ‘Bampot Central’, which has also been aired, along with a number of audio-books made too.

Winning a number of awards too, he’s not without critical acclaim as well, with many awards and nominations being given to him. In 2007 he was awarded the ‘Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award’, which was given for writing. All of this along with his status as a bestselling writer as well, leads to him being one of the most successful authors within his particular field to date.

Still writing to this very day, there’s a lot more to come from him as an author yet, as his audience grows day-by-day. As a vocal spokesperson of both him and his craft, he will also continue to maintain his presence as a writer both online and off. This is something that will carry on into the foreseeable future, as his writing career grows from strength-to-strength.

Be My Enemy

First brought out in 2004 on the 5th of February, this was set to be the fourth in the ongoing series of ‘Jack Parlablane’ novels. Following the eponymous investigative journalist, it’s a franchise that’s set both in and around the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. With the character already having been firmly established, it manages to take the story forwards, whilst also giving followers of the series more of what they’ve now come to expect from it.

Taking place up in the highlands of Scotland, this sees journalist Jack Parlablane partaking in a ‘junket’ supposedly designed for ‘team building’. With events all set to bring them closer together, including missing staff, cut electricity, paint-balls and even thefts of mobile phones, it seems that the organizers have pulled out all the stops. That is until transport to the nearest town is cut-off and it quickly transpires that things are getting a little too real, as the weekend turns into a fight for their lives. Will they survive to Monday morning? Can they find out what is really going on? Just who exactly is saying ‘be my enemy’?

Bedlam

Published in 2013 on the 7th of February, this was first brought out through the ‘Little, Brown Book Group’ publishing label. Working as a stand-alone title it has garnered much attention over the years, with its combination of crime thriller and science-fiction. Entertaining and exciting, it manages to keep the reader completely hooked throughout, right up until the very end.

Things don’t seem to be going anywhere in particular for Ross Baker, as he finds himself working for an American tech firm as a computer scientist. Agreeing to be scanned by his colleague Solderburn, he is soon transported into a video-game from the nineties, as he wakes up to find himself in a first-person shooter. Not entirely sure how he got there, he finds that he needs to make his way out of the game ‘Starfire’, along with a somewhat nostalgic look-back at early video-games of the period. Will he make his way out? Why has he found himself here? What will become of the bedlam?

Born September 6th 1968, Christopher Brookmyre is a Scotland based novelist, whose blend of comedy, politics, social comments and action have led to the author being referred to as the tartan noir author. Born in Glasgow, Christopher was raised in Barrhead. Before joining the University of Glasgow, Christopher went to St, Luke’s High School after graduating from St Mark’s Primary school. An ardent supporter St Mirren FC in the Scottish league, Brookmyre is married to an anesthetist and has a son with her. Being a fan of soccer, Brookmyre is a regular on BBC’s Sportscene result program during the soccer league.

He wrote “One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night” which he said he had to write before he was 30 years.The author has also bagged several awards including the seventh Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction in 2006. One of the author’s early works, “all fun and games until someone looses an eye” earned him this award. As is tradition, the Gloucestershire old spot pig was named after Brookmyre as the winning novelist. Before this in 1996, Christopher was crowned winner of the critic’s first blood award for best first crime novel. This went to the author’s debut novel “Quite Ugly One Morning”. Christopher, apart from being a novelist has also written a number of short fictional stories, with the most known being “Bamport Centra”

This short story earned the author shortlisted position from the Crime Writer’ Association Macallan Short Story Dagger. Other of the author’s books that have won awards includes “Boiling a Frog” and “Be My Enemy”. These two novels were so successful that they earned Christopher the title of the only novelist to have ever won two Sherlock Award for Best Comic Detective Novel in 2000 and 2004 respectively. One of the writer’s most recent books, “Where the Bodies are Buried” won the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award in 2007. The book was also shortlisted for the Theakstones Old Peculier Novel of the Year Award in 2012.

Christopher’s first five books, revolved around the life of an investigative journalist Jack Parlabane. This series of novels won the author many accolades and awards including those mentioned above. These novels included “Quite Ugly One Morning, Country of the Blind, Boiling a Frog, Be my Enemy and Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks. The first novel in this series, which introduced the character of Jack Parlabane, Quite Ugly One Morning, received public acclaim and criticism almost in equal measure. The novel begins with the introduction of Jack Parlabane, a Galasgow based investigative journalist coming back to Scotland from Los Angeles.

The name of the novel was derived from one of the song’s that featured on Warren Zevon’s 1991 album, Mr Bad Example. The novel is about the investigative journalist who, upon him returning to Scotland from Los Angeles, gets involved in investigating the murder of a gambling medic, which occurs in a flat below. Parlabane, the main character in the series, gets involved with a number of characters including Darren; an Essex based hit-man, the deceased’s ex-wife, and a lesbian detective constable. The novel that followed this was another best seller.

In 2003, the novel was adapted in to a television film starring James Nesbitt as Jack Parlabane. The adaptation was made by Clerknwell films for the ITV network. The film was directed and dramatized by Sam Miller and Stuart Hepburn respectively. One key distinction between the television film and the novel is that while Jack Parlabane had a Glasgwegian accent, it was not the same accent used by James Nesbitt. James was picked to star in the film instead of Scottish actor Douglas Henshall. The latter had previously voiced Jack Parlabane in a radio adaptation of the short story Bamport Central. Others who starred in the film were Eddie Marsan, Annette Crosbie, Daniela Nardini, and Mark Benton. The film was broadcasted on 5th February 2004.

The second novel in the Jack Parlabane series that followed “Quite Ugly One Morning” was “Country of the Blind”. Published in 1997, the novel was a continuation of the first release. The novel introduces readers to Jack Parlabane as a man living in domestic bliss and about to be married. The journalist promises to leave the dangerous life of investigative journalism upon being married. However, the journalist soon breaks the promise when a tabloid media mogul is found murdered.

After the murder, the police rule that it was a case of attempted burglary and arrest three persons believed to have been involved, Thomas Mclannes, Paul his son and a curious looking individual by the name Spammy. A few days before the murder Mclannes visits a lawyer in Edinboruough by the name of Nicole Carrow, who turns up at the police station after the arrest of Thomas. Within hours of the visit and the lawyer presenting a letter, which she claims can prove the innocence of her client, an attempt on her life is made.

Jack Parlabane is intrigued with the claims made by the solicitor and decides to get involved in the investigations. However, the journalist soon realizes that another person is after the solicitor and the intentions of the third party are not good. This new party has political connections, and reveals a web of corrupt agenda. The novel has been described as blackly humorous, intriguing and fast moving. The best seller was followed by another successful publication from Christopher Brookmyre, “Boiling a Frog”. This publication of “Boiling a Frog” preceded the release of “Be my Enemy”. The Jack Parlabane series of novels, ended with the publication of “Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks”.

Christopher Brookmyre, who was a journalist before venturing in to the creative world of novel writing, has continued publishing best selling novel, with the most recent being, “ Flesh Wounds”. This book is part of another series of novels from the author that have continued to captivate reader’s world-wide. These new series of novels follows the lives of Jasmine Sharp as a private detective and Catharine McLeod a police investigator whom he has used in three of his books. In 2013, the author released “Bedlam”. This new novel was turned in to a video game, which was also written by Christopher. His books have been known to be educative and entertaining which has earned him a top spot in the writing industry as bestseller.