Welcome to the official Mo Hayder website

Mo Hayder left school at fifteen. She worked as a barmaid, security guard, film-maker, hostess in a Tokyo club, educational administrator and teacher of English as a foreign language in Asia. She has an MA in film from The American University in Washington DC and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University UK.

Her debut, BIRDMAN, published in January 2000, was an international bestseller. Her second novel, THE TREATMENT, also a Sunday Times bestseller, won the 2002 WH Smith Thumping Good Read award. Her third novel Sunday Times bestseller TOKYO, which was published in May 2004 in the UK, won the Elle magazine crime fiction prize, the SNCF Prix Polar, and was nominated for three CWA dagger awards. Tokyo was published as THE DEVIL OF NANKING in the US March 2005. PIG ISLAND her fourth best seller was published in April 2006 and was nominated for both a Barry Award for best british crime novel and a CWA dagger. Her fifth book, RITUAL, the first of THE WALKING MAN series, has been nominated for The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award and is currently available.

Mo lives in Bath with her daughter Lotte-Genevieve.

2009 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Shortlist announced. Voting now open!

Ritual has been revealed as one of the 14 short-listed titles that will vie with each other to take the coveted title of Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2009.

Make sure your favourite crime book is a real contender for the title. 

Click here to cast your vote

Voting is open 1st June to 22nd July. One vote person*.
*Duplicate voting detection system enabled