Russel D McLean was born in Fife, and moved to Dundee where he studied philosophy at the University of Dundee. His speciality was philosophy of mind, but after he discovered the difficulty of funding a PhD he fell into the disreputable company of the booktrade. Russel's path to publication started at sixteen when he submitted his first full length novel to Virgin Publishing New Doctor Who Adventures. The novel was summarily rejected and he spent the next fourteen years perfecting his style before finally switching genres and writing dark crime fiction. His first paid credit was in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2004 and his first novel, THE GOOD SON, was released in 2008. He has since been published in the US, translated into Italian, French and German, and was nominated for best first PI novel by the Private Eye Writers of America. He spent over a decade as a bookseller in Dundee and Glasgow, writing at night. Now he spends his days working as a development editor for various publishers, large and small, on a freelance basis, and his nights continuing to write fiction and screenplays. ​In 2018, he was part of the Write4film initiative from the Scottish Film Talent Network, which helps writers from other forms to learn about screenwriting. He is currently working on various projects intended for the screen. For two years (2014-16) he wrote a monthly crime fiction column for the Scottish Herald. ​And yes, he really did once share a flat with a cursed mask.