ABOUT MARK FURNESS

Mark Furness is a bestselling author of crime thrillers and dark comedy crime. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Before writing fiction, Mark worked as a journalist in the US, the UK, Australia, and East Asia. He draws on these experiences to inform his stories which often feature journalists.

A prime example is the international crime thriller, Under Eden, featuring investigative reporter, Gar Hart.

Mark says, "Unlike Gar, I did not carry a gun on the job. But there were occasions when that type of defence would have been handy. Gar's foes mistakenly think that a man of words will be a soft touch in a cauldron of violence.

"In creating my story, I considered the real perils faced by contemporary investigative journalists.

"In Putin's Russia, the Communist Party's China, and the Kim family's North Korea, there is little dissent from the local media. Dictators who control the dark forces of the State are rarely sleepless about internal criticism.

"External criticism is another matter. The Saudi Arabian regime, unhappy about its King and Prince being accused of corruption by dissident journalist and The Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, lured him to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey, where he was literally butchered a couple of years ago.

"Of course, not all journalists are saints…

"I've met a few who have taken a rich man's coin to publish good things about their subject and ignore the dark.

"And there are others in the mould of the late American publisher Arthur Kasherman who portrayed himself as a "vice crusader" publishing fearless exposés about corruption and gangster rule. Others, however, called him a blackmailer who threatened to write defamatory articles about them if they didn't pay him off. Kasherman owned his own press, so he had a free hand. Until he was shot dead while dining out.”

"All my stories are veined with dark humor.

"I can't be sure of the source of this, but as a 21-year-old, I crashed a hang-glider into high voltage wires, sustaining electrical burns that left me hospitalized and in rehabilitation for over a year. I believe my brain fully recovered. But this is disputed by some of my friends and family members."

Recently, I published the first three books in the Firefly Electrics Series of crime thrillers with a dark comedy twist. They are inspired by my experiences as a youth and close friends at the time.

The stories are part social commentary, part satire, and mostly just entertaining (I hope). My protagonists - electricians, Lennie and Joe, and their cockatoo, Rawcus - are tough on those who prey upon the vulnerable in modern society.

The Seven Commandments according to the Firefly team:

Thou shalt love and protect Mother Nature.
Thou shalt protect the innocent and vulnerable - people and animals.
Thou shalt be cynical about the Establishment.
Thou shalt be suspicious of all organised Religions.
Thou shalt never abandon the ship of friendship.
Thou shalt explore alternative perceptions.
Thou shalt seek laughter every day.

I hope you enjoy the stories.

In 2022, I will publish the sequel to Under Eden. The title is Five Blind Eyes.

The British Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger competition long-listed Five Blind Eyes in which Gar Hart and his colleagues uncover corruption at the high-tech frontier of the global arms industry.

In 2022, I will also publish Gumleaf Mafia, Book #4 in the Firefly series.

CONTACT

I like to hear from my readers. If you’d like to share any thoughts, please email me at: mark@markfurnesswriter.com

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