Nicci French
Encyclopedia
Nicci French is the pseudonym
of English
husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, who write psychological thriller
s together.
, together with her two sisters and her brother.
She was educated at The Alice Ottley School
in Worcester. She then studied English literature
at Oxford University and went on to teach literature in Los Angeles
and London
. She founded a women's magazine before becoming a freelance journalist
. During that time she married and had two children.
Following the failure of this first marriage, she met Sean French whilst working as editor for the New Statesman
where French wrote a weekly column, but left when she was offered another job at The Observer
.
. He was, like his two younger brothers Patrick and Karl, educated at William Ellis secondary school in north London before studying English literature at Oxford University. Sean and Nicci never met while there. While at Oxford University, French won a young writers contest organised by Vogue, and subsequently became a journalist.
In 1987 he got his first column and until the end of 2000 he wrote columns for the New Statesman. His sole-authored novel Start from Here was published in 2004.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, who write psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
s together.
Personal life
Nicci and Sean were married in 1990 and since 1999 have lived in Suffolk in East Anglia, England. Nicci has two children, Edgar and Anna, from her first marriage, and the couple have two daughters of their own, Hadley and Molly.Nicci Gerrard
Nicci Gerrard was born on 10 June, 1958. She grew up in WorcestershireWorcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, together with her two sisters and her brother.
She was educated at The Alice Ottley School
The Alice Ottley School
The Alice Ottley School was an independent all-girl school in Worcester which existed between 1883 and 2007 before it was renamed to take the name of the school's first ever headmistress and became 'The Alice Ottley School'.-History:...
in Worcester. She then studied English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Oxford University and went on to teach literature in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She founded a women's magazine before becoming a freelance journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. During that time she married and had two children.
Following the failure of this first marriage, she met Sean French whilst working as editor for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
where French wrote a weekly column, but left when she was offered another job at The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
.
Sean French
Sean French was born on 28 May , 1959 in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. He was, like his two younger brothers Patrick and Karl, educated at William Ellis secondary school in north London before studying English literature at Oxford University. Sean and Nicci never met while there. While at Oxford University, French won a young writers contest organised by Vogue, and subsequently became a journalist.
In 1987 he got his first column and until the end of 2000 he wrote columns for the New Statesman. His sole-authored novel Start from Here was published in 2004.
Style
The writers use self-imposed constraints: the main character is always a strong and vulnerable woman, independent and stubborn. They don't use real facts, only personal anecdotes, encounters or journeys. They write in alternation, and then rewrite each other's texts.Works
- The Memory GameThe Memory GameThe Memory Game is a psychological thriller by London journalists, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, under the pseudonym Nicci French. It was their first novel and originally published by William Heinemann in 1997.-Plot:...
(1997) - The Safe House (1998)
- Killing Me Softly (1999)
- Beneath the Skin (2000)
- The Red Room (2001)
- The People Who Went Away (2001), a short story published as a novella for promotional purposes
- Land of the LivingLand of the Living (novel)Land of the Living is a psychological thriller novel by Nicci French, the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife team of English suspense writers, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French.-Synopsis:...
(2003) - Secret SmileSecret SmileSecret Smile is a drama serial in two parts shown by ITV in December 2005, based on the Nicci French book of the same name, directed by Christopher Menaul and starring David Tennant, Claire Goose and Kate Ashfield.-Overview:...
(2003) - Catch Me When I Fall (2005)
- Losing You (2006)
- Until It's Over (2007)
- Speaking Ill of the Dead (2008), a short story published for promotional purposes
- What To Do When Someone Dies (2008)
- Complicit (2009), published in the United States as The Other Side of the Door (2010)
- Blue Monday (2011)