David is an author, historian and journalist who uses his experience to create complex characters, immersive settings and compelling stories without clunky ‘history lesson’ sections.

The playwright Neil Duffield said of David’s debut, Liberty Bazaar, that ‘it wears its history lightly’, and this is a view that has been echoed by reviewers since.

Four decades in journalism and the media industry have given him first-hand insights into the best and worst of people in every sort of situation you can imagine – and some you probably can’t.  

David has come face to face with senior royals, top politicians and celebrities; got to know business bosses, war veterans and seasoned cops. As well as his latest novel The Big Happy, David’s work includes his Nixon’s America crime trilogy and a non-fiction account of the Battle of the Atlantic.

David has been writing novels full-time since 2021 when he took a step back from the freelance journalism and PR consultancy he founded in 2001. Previously he was a communications manager at global accountancy firm KPMG, and before that, a UK government media adviser reporting to the Cabinet Office and working with officials at Buckingham Palace.

He has also held senior editorial positions on a number of UK daily newspapers including the Oxford Mail and Bolton Evening News. His freelance work has appeared in UK national titles such as the Guardian, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror.

David divides his time between homes in Greater Manchester and southern Spain.