Mark Pryor (author)

Mark Pryor
Mark Pryor at the 2014 Texas Book Festival
Born(1967-05-08)May 8, 1967
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
DiedOctober 8, 2026(2026-10-08) (aged 59)
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA)
Duke University (JD)
OccupationNovelist
Writing career
GenreCrime
Websitewww.markpryorbooks.com

Mark Pryor (May 8, 1967 – October 8, 2026) was a British-American mystery writer and criminal defense attorney for Cofer and Connelly. He is best known for his mystery novels featuring Hugo Marston, a former FBI agent from Texas, and now head of security at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. Pryor was also the author of the nonfiction book, As She Lay Sleeping, based on the 1985 cold case murder of Natalie Antonetti (the mother of Johnny Goudie) that he successfully prosecuted in 2011. He appeared on CBS News' "48 Hours" and Discovery Channel's "Discovery ID: Cold Blood" discussing the case. Pryor was also the creator of the true-crime blog D.A. Confidential.

Life and career

Pryor grew up in Hertfordshire, England. He earned a journalism degree and became the crime reporter for the Daily Gazette (Colchester), Essex. In 1994, he moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his mother is from and returned to education. Pryor received a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill journalism school in 1999 and a Juris Doctor degree from Duke University in 2002. After graduating, he moved to Dallas, Texas, to practice civil law. In 2006, he moved to Austin, Texas to accept a position with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.

He resided in Austin with his wife and three children. Pryor died on October 8, 2026, at the age of 59.

Publications

Hugo Marston Novels

Inspector Henri Lefort Series

Other Novels

Nonfiction

References