Howard Linskey author page

Howard Linskey biography

Howard Linskey is a British author and former journalist who writes crime fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction and books for younger readers. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked as a journalist for regional newspapers and contributed to magazines and websites. His books have been published by Penguin Random House, No Exit Press, Orion, Canelo, Badger Publishing and other publishers. He has also mentored writers on City University’s MA in Creative Writing and worked with writing initiatives including Pen to Print.

For younger readers, Linskey has written non-fiction for Badger Publishing’s WOW! Facts series, which is designed to support children and teenagers who find reading challenging. Vikings, published in 2014, explores how Viking warriors lived, fought and travelled. The 32-page book uses short sections of text and photographs and forms part of the Gold level of the series.

His second WOW! Facts title, Titanic, was published by Badger Publishing in 2022. It traces the ship from its construction through life on board and the events surrounding its sinking, using photographs and concise historical information. The book forms part of the Grey level of the series, with a reading age of 8 to 9 and an interest age of 9 to 14.

Linskey’s writing for adults includes the David Blake crime novels, beginning with The Drop, the Ian Bradshaw series published by Penguin, and the Second World War novels Hunting the Hangman and Ungentlemanly Warfare. In 2025 he began a historical mystery series featuring a young William Shakespeare with A Serpent in the Garden, subsequently published in paperback as Players of Death.