Colin Bateman books

Anthologies

Dan Starkey Reading Order

Eddie and the Gang With No Name Reading Order

Martin Murphy Reading Order

Mystery Man Reading Order

Papercuts Reading Order

SOS Adventures Reading Order

Short Story Collections

Standalone Novels

Titanic 2020 Reading Order

Colin Bateman is a novelist and screenwriter from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Before turning to fiction full-time, he worked as a journalist, and that background shows clearly in his writing. His debut novel, Divorcing Jack (1995), introduced readers to Dan Starkey, a hard-drinking Belfast journalist with a knack for stumbling into trouble. The book won a Betty Trask Award and launched what would become a ten-book series.

Beyond the Dan Starkey novels, Bateman has written across a wide range of genres and age groups. His Mystery Man series features a nameless, neurotic bookshop owner in Belfast who accidentally becomes a private detective. He also created the Murphy’s Law character, which became a BBC television series starring James Nesbitt. For younger readers, Bateman wrote the Eddie and the Gang With No Name trilogy, the SOS Adventures series, and the Titanic 2020 duology. His standalone novels include Cycle of Violence, Empire State, and Orpheus Rising, along with the Papercuts collection of novellas. Whether writing for adults or teens, Bateman brings sharp wit, black humor, and a distinctly Northern Irish voice to every story.