The Writers of Wales Database

HALL, M.R.

Website: http://www.m-r-hall.com/index.htm

M.R. Hall was born in London in 1967 and educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Worcester College, Oxford, where he graduated in law. He now lives and works in the Wye valley in South Wales.

During a career at the Bar, working mostly in the field of criminal law, he tried to learn the craft of screen writing, eventually getting his first commission in television writing an episode of the ITV hit series, 'Kavanagh QC' starring John Thaw. He went on to write further episodes and shortly afterwards was commissioned to create a series for the new Channel Five, 'Wing And A Prayer'. The first season earned him a BAFTA nomination in the best series category.

For over ten years Matthew has been a screen writer and producer, and has written over forty hours of prime time drama for BBC1 and ITV. His debut novel, The Coroner, was published by Pan Macmillan in the UK in 2009 and has been nominated for the Crime Writer’s Association Gold Dagger in the best novel category.

The second novel in the series, The Disappeared, was published in the USA by Simon and Schuster on December 1st 2009 and in the UK by Pan Macmillan in January 2010. The third novel in the series, The Redeemed, is due in 2011.

Translation rights to both The Coroner and The Disappeared have been sold across the world. Matthew spends much of his spare time looking after his sixteen acres of woodland and working for the conservation of the countryside. Matthew is a Member of Academi.

Reviews
With respect to The Coroner (Pan Macmillan, 2009)

"…accomplished and challenging…"
The Independent

"…relevant and unnerving…"
USA Today 

"...It’s a tribute to the author’s skill that I read this book supposing it to be autobiographical … He really gets under the skin of the heroine … an outstandingly interesting first novel..."
Literary Review

"...This big, well-executed debut novel by screenwriter and producer M.R. Hall has meaty characters and a chewy plot in the Lynda La Plante style..."
Guardian

"...A fast paced debut thriller..."
The Times


Selected Publications:
The Coroner (Pan Macmillan, 2009)
The Disappeared (USA - Simon and Schuster, 2009) (UK - Pan Macmillan, 2010)
The Redeemed (Simon and Schuster, 2011)



The Coroner (Pan Macmillan, 2009)

Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan vanish without a trace. The police tell their parents that the boys had been under surveillance, that it was likely they left the country to pursue their dangerous new ideals. Seven years later, Nazim’s grief-stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is her last hope.

Jenny is finally beginning to settle into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past that threatened to topple her, banished to the sidelines once more. But as the inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear...

As the pressure from above increases, a code of silence is imposed on the inquest and events begin to spiral out of all control, pushing Jenny to breaking point. For how could she have known that by unravelling the mysteries of the disappeared, she would begin to unearth her own buried secrets? 

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