Craig Russell, also known as Christopher Galt, is a Scottish novelist, short story writer and author of ''The Devil Aspect''. His
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, postal ...
-set thriller series featuring detective
Jan Fabel has been translated into 23 languages. Russell speaks fluent German and has a special interest in post-war German history. His books, particularly ''The Devil Aspect'' and the Fabel series, tend to include historical or mythological themes.
In February 2007, Russell was awarded the Polizeistern (Police Star) by the
Hamburg Police
The Hamburg Police (german: Hamburger Polizei or ) is the German Landespolizei force for the city-state of Hamburg. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state (Land) agencies. A precursor to the agency, the ''Polizei-Behörd ...
, the only non-German ever to have received this accolade. In June 2007, Russell was shortlisted for the £20,000
CWA Duncan Lawrie
Gold Dagger
The Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.
From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. From ...
, the world's largest literary prize for crime fiction. Also in 2007, Russell was shortlisted for the SNCF Prix Polar Award in France.
He was the winner of the 2008 CWA
Dagger in the Library The Dagger in the Library (Golden Handcuffs in 1992–1994) is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association to a particular "living author who has given the most pleasure to readers". Yearly shortlists are drawn up of the ten auth ...
. His novel ''Dead Men and Broken Hearts'' was a finalist for both 2012 inaugural
Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year Award and the 2013 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger. In 2015, his novel ''The Ghosts of Altona'' won the Scottish Crime Novel of the Year at the Bloody Scotland Festival. He was again shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize in 2017 for ''The Quiet Death of Thomas Quaid'', and ''The Devil Aspect'' was shortlisted for the 2019 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award. Russell won the 2021 McIlvanney Prize for his novel ''Hyde'', making him the first in the prize's history to win twice.
In 2014, he wrote the book ''Biblical'' under the pseudonym 'Christopher Galt'. In April 2015, ''The Third Testament'' was released under the same name.
Having been acquired in an auction by Jason Kaufman,
Dan Brown
Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), '' The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), '' Inferno'' (2013), ...
's editor at Doubleday, Russell's Gothic thriller ''The Devil Aspect'' was published in the United States in March 2019, the film rights (under the title ''Where the Devil Hides'') having already been acquired by Columbia Pictures/Sony. The UK edition was published by Constable/Little, Brown.
Novels
The novels Craig Russell has written include:
Jan Fabel series
Jan Fabel is a fictional contemporary
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
detective. Fabel, whose rank is that of ''Erster Kriminalhauptkommissar'' (Principal Chief Commissar), is the head of the ''Mordkommission'' (Murder Squad) of the
Hamburg Police
The Hamburg Police (german: Hamburger Polizei or ) is the German Landespolizei force for the city-state of Hamburg. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state (Land) agencies. A precursor to the agency, the ''Polizei-Behörd ...
. Fabel is half-Scottish, half-German and trained as a historian before becoming a policeman. The cases he investigates tend to involve a strong historical or mythological element.
* ''
Blood Eagle
The blood eagle was a method of ritually executing a chosen member as detailed in late skaldic poetry. According to the two instances mentioned in the Sagas, the victims (in both cases members of royal families) were placed in a prone position, t ...
'' (2005)
* ''Brother Grimm'' (2006)
* ''Eternal'' (2007)
* ''The Carnival Master'' (2008)
* ''The Valkyrie Song'' (2009)
* ''A Fear of Dark Water'' (2011)
* ''The Ghosts of Altona'' (2015)
Lennox series
* ''Lennox'' (2009)
* ''The Long Glasgow Kiss'' (2010)
* ''The Deep Dark Sleep'' (2011)
* ''Dead Men and Broken Hearts'' (2012)
* ''The Quiet Death of Thomas Quaid'' (2016).
Standalone Novels
* ''Biblical'' (2014)
ritten as ''Christopher Galt'' and released as UK paperback as ''The Third Testament'' (2015)* ''The Devil Aspect'' (2019)]
* ''Hyde'' (2021)
Filmography
Four of Craig Russell's novels in the Fabel series have been produced by Tivoli Film. A fifth is currently in production
for German public broadcaster ARD:
*' (aka ''Wolfsfährte'', directed by
Urs Egger
Urs Egger (born 9 March 1953 in Bern – died 18 January 2020 in Berlin) was a Swiss film and television director.
From 1974 to 1997, he worked for the Swiss ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'' and the Australian ''Cinema Papers'' as a correspondent from L ...
, premiere date 30 October 2010)
*' (aka ''Blutadler'', directed by Nils Willbrandt, premiere date 3 November 2012)
*''Eternal''
(aka ''Brandmal'', directed by Nicolai Rohde, premiere date 19 September 2015)
*''Carneval'' (directed by Nicolai Rohde, premiere date 15 September 2018)
*''The Valkyrie Song'', the fifth novel to be adapted, went into production on 9 April 2019
In all five films, the lead title of Jan Fabel has been played by
Peter Lohmeyer
Peter Lohmeyer (born 22 January 1962 in Niedermarsberg) is a German actor. He has appeared in more than one hundred films since 1980.
Life and career
Lohmeyer is the youngest of three children of the Protestant pastor Dieter Lohmeyer and his wi ...
.
References
External links
Craig Russell websitePenguin Random House author pageInterview with Craig Russell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Craig
Living people
21st-century British novelists
British short story writers
British male novelists
British male short story writers
21st-century British short story writers
21st-century British male writers
Year of birth missing (living people)