Mo Hayder

{{Infobox writer

| name = Mo Hayder

| image = Author Mo Hayder.jpg

| birth_name = Clare Damaris Bastin

| birth_date = {{birth date|1962|1|2|df=y}}

| birth_place = Epping, Essex, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|7|27|1962|1|2|df=y}}

| death_place = Cheltenham, England

| years_active = 1982–2021

| education = The American University
Bath Spa University

| genre = Crime, thriller

| pseudonym = Candy Davis (acting name), Mo Hayder, Theo Clare

| occupation = Novelist

| notable_works = Birdman
The Treatment
Pig Island

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Gary Olsen|1985|1990|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Bob Randall|2021}}{{cite news|last=Billingham|first=Mark|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/aug/02/mo-hayder-obituary-clare-dunkel|title=Mo Hayder obituary|work=The Guardian|date=2 August 2021|access-date=2 August 2021}}

}}

| awards = Edgar Award (2012)

| children = 1

}}

Beatrice Clare Dunkel (born Clare Damaris Bastin; pen names, Mo Hayder and Theo Clare; 2 January 1962 – 27 July 2021) was a British author. Earlier in her life she worked as an actress and model under the name Candy Davis and appeared as Miss Belfridge in the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? She went on to write novels as Mo Hayder.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2021/08/09/mo-hayder-author-inventive-jaw-droppingly-grisly-thrillers/|title=Mo Hayder, author of inventive but 'jaw-droppingly grisly' thrillers – obituary|work=The Telegraph|date=9 August 2021|access-date=9 August 2021}} She won an Edgar Award in 2012.

Her novels have sold more than 6.5 million copies, as of 2021.

Early life

Born in Epping, Essex on 2 January 1962, Hayder grew up in Loughton as the daughter of John Bastin, an astrophysicist, and Susan Hollins (née Jacobsen), a teacher.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-07 |title=Clare Dunkel obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/clare-dunkel-obituary-kcbkpx8ds |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=The Times|language=en}}{{cite news|last=Alberge|first=Dalya|title=£200,000 for an author who left school at 15|work=The Guardian|date=9 October 1998}} She had a younger brother, Richard.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/clare-dunkel-obituary-kcbkpx8ds|title=Clare Dunkel obituary|work=The Times|date=9 August 2021|access-date=9 August 2021}} {{subscription required}} She left school and home for London shortly before her 16th birthday. Hayder was educated at The American University and Bath Spa University.{{Cite news|last=Wood|first=Heloise|title='Extraordinary' crime writer Mo Hayder dies of motor neurone disease|work=The Bookseller|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/extraordinary-crime-writer-mo-hayder-dies-mnd-1273889|date=28 July 2021|access-date=28 July 2021}}

Acting and modelling career

As Candy Davis, she won the Miss Nude beauty pageant in 1982 and became a Page 3 model. As an actress, her first credit was as a stripper in an episode of Minder. She played secretary Miss Belfridge in the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? in the final two series from 1983 to 1985. She also appeared in the music video for the ABC song "Poison Arrow".

After a brief marriage to Gary Olsen she emigrated at 25 to Japan{{cite news|last=Dickson|first=E. Jane|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-books-interview-mo-hayder-death-beneath-the-dome-1131632.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220515/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-books-interview-mo-hayder-death-beneath-the-dome-1131632.html |archive-date=15 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The Books Interview Mo Hayder: Death beneath the Dome|date=23 October 2011|work=The Independent|access-date=29 July 2021}} where she became a teacher of English as a foreign language in Tokyo. She was also a waitress at a nightclub and an amateur filmmaker.

Writing career

Hayder sent the manuscript of her first book to several agents. To her surprise she was accepted by leading literary agent Jane Gregory who secured her an offer of nearly £200,000 from Transworld Publishers for a two-book deal. Patrick Janson-Smith of Transworld described the manuscript at the 1998 Frankfurt Book Fair as one of the most powerful and violent books he had come across, "a completely gripping story with believable characters". This debut novel, Birdman, was published in December 1999 and was an international bestseller.{{cite news|last=Flood|first=Alison|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/29/novelist-mo-hayder-dies-aged-59-from-motor-neurone-disease|title=Crime novelist Mo Hayder dies aged 59 from motor neurone disease|work=The Guardian|date=29 July 2021|access-date=29 July 2021}} Her second novel, The Treatment, was a Sunday Times bestseller and won the 2002 WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award.{{cite web|url=https://everything2.com/title/W+H+Smith+Thumping+Good+Read+Award|title=W. H. Smith Thumping Good Reads Award|access-date=29 July 2021}}

Her third novel, Tokyo, was published in May 2004 and was another Sunday Times bestseller.{{cite news|last=Petit|first=Chris|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/may/08/featuresreviews.guardianreview22|title=Review: Tokyo by Mo Hayder|work=The Guardian|date=8 May 2004|access-date=29 July 2021}} Tokyo was published as The Devil of Nanking in the United States in March 2005. Pig Island was her fourth best seller, published in April 2006. Pig Island was nominated for both a Barry Award for Best British crime novel, and a CWA dagger.{{cite book|url=https://groveatlantic.com/book/pig-island/|title=Pig Island|access-date=29 July 2021|publisher=Grove Atlantic}} Her fifth book, Ritual was the first in "The Walking Man" series, and was nominated for CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award.{{cite book|url=https://groveatlantic.com/book/ritual/|title=Grove Atlantic|publisher=Groove Atlantic|accessdate=29 July 2021}} Skin is the second book in The Walking Man series, and was released in early 2009. Gone, the third book in the series, was released in February 2011. Gone won the Edgar Award for Best Novel.{{cite web|url=https://www.criminalelement.com/the-edgar-awards-revisited-gone-by-mo-hayder-best-novel-2012/|title=The Edgar Awards Revisited: Gone by Mo Hayder (Best Novel, 2012)|date=14 February 2020|publisher=Criminal Element|accessdate=29 July 2021}} Her novel Hanging Hill was published 2011, Poppet in 2013, and Wolf in 2014. A television adaptation of Wolf was made for the BBC in 2023.

Her novels were controversial when published. Birdman was seen as violent and disturbing.{{cite web|url=http://crimebythebook.com/blog/2020/4/7/book-review-birdman-by-mo-hayder|title=Book Review: Birdman|date=7 April 2020 |accessdate=29 July 2021|publisher=Crime by the Book}} Her second novel, The Treatment tackled themes of paedophilia.{{cite news|last=Dunn|first=Adam|url=https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/A-disturbing-journey-into-the-pedophile-mind-2863839.php|title=A disturbing journey into the pedophile mind|date=17 March 2002|work=SF Gat|location=San Francisco, CA|access-date=29 July 2021}} The San Francisco Chronicle called the novel a "disturbing journey into the pedophile mind".

Hayder also wrote the screenplay for De Behandeling (2014) which was a Belgian film adaptation of The Treatment.{{cite web|url=https://www.dogandwolf.com/2015/08/the-treatment-de-behandeling-review/|title=THE TREATMENT / DE BEHANDELING (2014)|date=21 August 2015 |publisher=Dog and Wolf|accessdate=29 July 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/treatment-de-behandeling-montreal-review-729139/|title='The Treatment' ('De Behandeling'): Montreal Review|date=29 August 2014|access-date=29 July 2021|work=The Hollywood Reporter}}

Shortly before her death, she completed a new novel The Book of Sand, a speculative thriller written under the pseudonym Theo Clare, which was published in 2022.{{Cite book |last=Clare |first=Theo |url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/442433/the-book-of-sand-by-clare-theo/9781529158014 |title=The Book of Sand |date=4 August 2022 |language=en}}

Personal life

In 1985, she married actor Gary Olsen. The couple divorced in 1990.

Hayder lived in Cheltenham, England with her second husband, Bob Randall, a retired police sergeant whom she married in 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/leisure/interviews/4219850.bestselling-crime-writer-mo-hayder-gives-a-lunchtime-talk-at-watford-library/|title=Bestselling crime writer Mo Hayder gives a lunchtime talk at Watford Library|date=20 March 2009 |publisher=Watford Observer|accessdate=29 July 2021}} She had one daughter.

She died on 27 July 2021 from complications of motor neuron disease, aged 59, having been diagnosed in December 2020.

Bibliography

=Jack Caffery series=

Birdman (2000)
The Treatment (2001)
Ritual (2008){{cite web |url=http://www.digyorkshire.com/HighlightDetails.aspx?Article=202 |title=Shortlist for Theakston's Crime Novel of the year Award 2009 |publisher=digyorkshire.com |date=2 June 2009 |accessdate=17 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815160519/http://www.digyorkshire.com/HighlightDetails.aspx?Article=202 |archive-date=15 August 2016 |url-status=usurped }}
Skin (2009)
Gone (2010){{cite web|url=http://www.mohayder.net/books.html |title=Mo Hayder books|date=22 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060222065033/http://www.mohayder.net/books.html|archive-date=22 February 2006}}
Poppet (2013)
Wolf (2014)

=Stand-alone novels=

Tokyo (2004), also published as The Devil of Nanking (2010)
Pig Island (2006)
Hanging Hill (2011)
Bonehead (2024)

=Writing as Theo Clare=

The Book of Sand (2022)

Filmography

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"

1982

! Year

! Television

! Episode(s)

!Character Played

|1982

|O.T.T.

| A short lived TV series presented by Chris Tarrant

| Herself

1982

| Minder

| Rembrandt Doesn't Live Here Anymore

| Stripper

1983

| The Benny Hill Show

| Holiday

| Hill's Angel

1983

| The Entertainers

| Jeff Stevenson

1983

| The Comic Strip Presents

| Five Go Mad on Mescalin

| Janie

1983

| The Two Ronnies

| Episode 10.2

| The Colonel's Niece

1984

| Cannon & Ball

| Episode 6.6

| Herself

1984

| Bottle Boys

| Here Comes the Groom

| Deirdre

1983–1985

| Are You Being Served?

| Main characters, series 9 and 10

| Miss Belfridge

1985

| The Two Ronnies

| Episode 11.3

1985

| The Two Ronnies

| Episode 11.4

| Miss Exotica Stormtrooper

1986

| The Two Ronnies

| Episode 12.3

| Woman with Trevor

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Character
1983 \| Fanny Hill \| Girl in bed (uncredited)
1985 \| Underworld \| Barmaid

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Character

1983

| Fanny Hill

| Girl in bed (uncredited)

1985

| Underworld

| Barmaid

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20120204093409/http://www.gregoryandcompany.co.uk/pages/authors/index.asp?AuthorID=21 Mo Hayder] at Gregory & Company Authors' Agents
{{LCAuth|n99036062|Mo Hayder|13|ue}}
{{IMDb name|id=0204306|name=Candy Davis}}

Category:1962 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:Writers from Essex

Category:21st-century English novelists

Category:American University School of Communication alumni

Category:Alumni of Bath Spa University

Category:English crime fiction writers

Category:Edgar Award winners

Category:British women mystery writers

Category:21st-century English women writers

Category:English women novelists

Category:Deaths from motor neuron disease in England