David Kessler (author): Difference between revisions
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{{Use British English|date=August 2011}} |
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{{COI|date=November 2009}} |
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{{Infobox writer |
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| name = David Kessler |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1957|4|1}} |
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| birth_place = London England |
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| occupation = Author |
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| nationality = British |
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| period = 1997—present |
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| genre = [[Mystery fiction|Mystery]], [[Thriller (genre)|Thriller]] |
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| website = http://www.davidkesslerauthor.com |
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'''David Kessler''' (born 1 April 1957) is a British author of [[Mystery fiction|mystery]] novels and [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]]s. The plots of his novels often involve people falsely accused of crimes, legal battles, DNA, computer hacking and police investigations and are characterised by multiple plot twists and last-minute surprises. With the exception of ''A Fool for a Client'', his early novels (published by [[Hodder Headline]]) were set in Britain. His new series of books (published by [[HarperCollins]]) is set in the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area of California]] and centres around a series of recurring characters including the lawyer Alex Sedaka and his paralegal Juanita Cortez. His latest series, published under the pseudonym "Adam Palmer", introduces the character of Daniel Klein, an expert on ancient Semitic languages.<ref>[http://davidkesslerauthor.com/?page_id=55 The Moses Legacy | David Kessler]. Davidkesslerauthor.com (9 April 2011). Retrieved on 10 August 2011.</ref> |
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==Background== |
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Kessler was born to a Jewish family in London, England, and dropped out of school at the age of 15.<ref name="">Introductory page ''Mercy'' Avon, 2009.</ref> Shortly thereafter, he wrote a screenplay that he showed to his mother's cousin, movie director [[Clive Donner]]. Although never produced, the screenplay made Kessler realise that he wanted to become a writer.<ref name="officialwebsite">{{cite web |
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| url = http://davidkesslerauthor.com/?page_id=2 |
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| title = The Official David Kessler Web Site |
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}}</ref> |
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==Career== |
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Kessler began writing at the age of 15 when he dropped out of school, but it wasn't until he was in his late thirties that he secured a publishing contract from [[Hodder Headline]]. His first book ''A Fool for a Client'' was a legal thriller and courtroom drama about the trial of a 23-year-old female medical student in New York for the murder of an Irish nationalist who had fled to the United States and avoided extradition. The title is an allusion to the legal aphorism that anyone who conducts their own defense “has a fool for a client.” In the novel, the accused, Justine Levy, insists on conducting her own defence despite judicial advice to the contrary. The book was reviewed by Susanna Yager in the [[Sunday Telegraph]], who wrote: “The author has thought up the most ingenious method of committing murder that I have come across in a long time.”<ref name="SusannaYager">''[[The Sunday Telegraph|Sunday Telegraph]]'' 20 April 1997</ref> The book dealt with a number of political themes, including the funding of the IRA by front organizations allegedly helping the families of imprisoned IRA members .<ref>{{cite web | url = http://davidkesslerauthor.com/?page_id=575 | title = A Fool for a Client | accessdate = 20 December 2011}}</ref> |
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This was followed by ''The Other Victim'' about the stabbing of a teenager and the disappearance of a billionaire in what turn out to be linked cases. The London [[Sunday Express]] wrote of this book: “The pace is fast, characters convince and the plot is well thought out. Kessler writes well."<ref name="SundayExpress">''[[Sunday Express]]'' 5 December 1998</ref> |
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However after his next two books,''Tarnished Heroes'' and ''Reckless Justice'', he was dropped by Hodder during a slump in publishing. At that same time, he courted controversy by co-writing a book about the murder of [[Rachel Nickell]] called ''Who Really Killed Rachel?'' with [[Colin Stagg]] the man who had been falsely accused of the murder and who at the time was still perceived by some to have been a guilty man who got away with the crime. The book—which was published in 1999 by small publisher Greenzone, after the major publishers turned it down—named [[Robert Napper]] as one of four credible suspects. Nine years later, Napper pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility for the crime, after new DNA technology and other innovations in forensic science linked him to the crime. Kessler wrote an ebook ''The Wimbledon Common Murder'' <ref>[http://davidkesslerauthor.com/?page_id=1751 | The Wimbledon Common Murder]. Davidkesslerauthor.com. Retrieved on 25 February 2012.</ref> updating his earlier work on the subject. |
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Kessler made a comeback in 2009 when he signed a three book deal with the Avon division of HarperCollins UK for a series of books about a San Francisco lawyer, Alex Sedaka. Prior to that, an unpublished version of ''Mercy'', the first book in the series, appeared on the [[Authonomy]] website (owned by HarperCollins). However, it was not picked up by HarperCollins through Autonomy. Rather it was sent to HarperCollins by Kessler's agent and picked up through the conventional channels.<ref>[http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2009/01/22/first-authonomy-books-acquired-by-harpercollins.htm First Authonomy Books Acquired by HarperCollins]. Fictionwriting.about.com. Retrieved on 10 August 2011.</ref> |
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''Mercy'' is about Sedaka's race against time to save a client on death row after the client declines an offer of clemency from the governor. The entire book takes place in a 15 hour time-frame and was described by [[James O'Brien (radio presenter)]] on [[LBC]] as “a cracking thriller.”<ref name="JamesObrian">LBC, 26 November 2009</ref> |
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''No Way Out'' is about Sedaka's defence of a black neoconservative talk show host (and former black power activist) on a charge of raping a white girl in a cause celebre that has America bitterly divided.<ref>[http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Titles/48905/no-way-out-david-kessler-9781847561831?cm_sp=Coming_Soon-_-book-_-link No Way Out : David Kessler]. HarperCollins (10 June 2010). Retrieved on 10 August 2011.</ref><ref>Dionne, Karen. (16 May 2010) [http://www.thrillerwriters.org/2010/05/no-way-out-by-david-kessler.html No Way out by David Kessler Archives – The Big Thrill]. Thrillerwriters.org. Retrieved on 10 August 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1847561837 No Way Out: Amazon.co.uk: David Kessler: Books]. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 10 August 2011.</ref><ref>[http://davidkesslerauthor.com/?page_id=16/ No Way Out | David Kessler]. Davidkesslerauthor.com. Retrieved on 10 August 2011.</ref> |
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2011 marked a change of direction for Kessler with a new book, ''The Moses Legacy'', a chase thriller about an expert on Semitic languages (Daniel Klein) who is called in to translate a sample of [[Proto-Sinaitic]] script found on the shattered remnants of ancient stones found in the Sinai desert by a female archaeologist. Kessler – who lists Dan Brown as one of his influences (see below) – adopted the pen-name Adam Palmer to signify the change of style and genre.<ref>[http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Titles/48906/the-moses-legacy-adam-palmer-9781847561848 The Moses Legacy : Adam Palmer]. HarperCollins. Retrieved on 10 August 2011.</ref> Kessler has also written and published eBooks in other genres such as science fiction, children's literature and chick-lit.<ref>[http://davidkesslerauthor.com | David Kessler]. Davidkesslerauthor.com. Retrieved on 25 February 2012.</ref> |
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==Influences== |
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Kessler cites [[Harlan Coben]], [[Ayn Rand]], [[Sidney Sheldon]] and [[Dan Brown]] as his influences.<ref name="killerreads">{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.killerreads.com/news/a-qa-with-avons-david-kessler/ |
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| title = Killer Reads |
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}}</ref> However, he also admitted that the inspiration for ''Mercy'' came from a conversation with a psychiatric nurse with whom he got talking when he called the wrong number while trying to contact an old friend.<ref name="jewishchronicle">{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/the-simon-round-interview/25404/interview-david-kessler |
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| title = Jewish Chronicle |
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}}</ref> |
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==Novels== |
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:95%" |
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! '''Year''' || '''Title''' || '''ISBN''' || '''Comments''' |
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| 1997 || '''''A Fool for a Client''''' || ISBN 0-340-68899-8 || Available as an eBook. |
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| 1997 || '''''The Other Victim''''' || ISBN 0-340-68902-1 || Available as an eBook. |
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| 1998 || '''''Tarnished Heroes''''' || ISBN 0-340-70835-2 || Currently out of print. |
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| 1999 || '''''Reckless Justice''''' || ISBN 0-340-70837-9 || Currently out of print. |
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| 1999 || '''''Who Really Killed Rachel''''' || ISBN 0-9582027-2-9 || Currently out of print. |
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| 2009 || '''''Mercy''''' || ISBN 1-84756-182-9|| First Alex Sedaka novel. |
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| 2010 || '''''No Way Out''''' || ISBN 1-84756-183-7|| Second Alex Sedaka novel. |
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| 2011 || '''''The Moses Legacy [as "Adam Palmer"]''''' || ISBN 1-84756-184-5 || First Daniel Klein thriller. |
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| 2011 || '''''Ethan and the Devious Doctor [as "Dan Ryan"]''''' || eBook || Children's book. |
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| 2011 || '''''Ethan and the Cryptic Clues [as "Dan Ryan"]''''' || eBook || Children's book. |
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| 2011 || '''''The Year of Compulsory Childbirth [as "Nigel Farringdon"]''''' || eBook || Science fiction. |
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| 2011 || '''''Spirit of Icarus [as "Nigel Farringdon"]''''' || eBook || Science fiction. |
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| 2011 || '''''Hidden Menace''''' || eBook || The Dovi Shamir adventures. |
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| 2011 || '''''Checkmate at the Beauty Pageant''''' || eBook || The Dovi Shamir adventures. |
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| 2011 || '''''The Wimbledon Common Murder''''' || eBook || Update on Who Really Killed Rachel. |
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| 2011 || '''''The Luddite Girls [as Karen Dee]''''' || eBook || Chick-lit. |
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|} |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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{{Commons category|David Kessler}} |
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*[http://www.davidkesslerauthor.com David Kessler's official website] |
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<!-- Goes above DEFAULTSORT/Categories --> |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> |
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|NAME = Kessler, David |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Author |
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|DATE OF BIRTH = 15 March 1957 |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[St Pancras, London]], United Kingdom |
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|DATE OF DEATH = |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kessler, David}} |
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[[Category:1957 births]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:British thriller writers]] |
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[[Category:British mystery writers]] |
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[[Category:British novelists]] |
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[[Category:People from London]] |
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[[Category:British Jewish writers]] |
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