The published author of over 40 novels, Michael has always been fascinated by history, but it was only after a career change was forced on him that he was able to indulge his interests full time.

Although he was born in Surrey, he always knew he wanted to live in the country. Every Easter holiday, he and his family would drive to Devon to a holiday cottage they rented. Those breaks on a working farm guided the whole of the rest of his life. As soon as sales of his books would allow, he and his wife moved to Devon.

The first books were to form the basis of his thrillers, the Templar Series. These books came about because of a visit to Devon and Fursdon Manor in 1993. Shortly afterwards he had an idea for a medieval murder story set in and around Fursdon, incorporating the destruction of the Templars, a terrible by exciting period in English history. Enthused by his vision, he began writing in early in 1994, and it was completed in March the year after. Headline bought it, initially commissioning two more in the series. The Templar Series is now, at 32 titles following the careers of Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock, the longest running crime series by any living author.

The Art of Murder Landscape of Murder - Michael Jecks (Hardback) 02-04-2024