Before establishing himself as a crime writer, Ray Banks tried university then a number of different careers, including stints as a wedding singer, a double-glazing salesman, an office temp and a croupier. This particular job came to an abrupt end when the casino was ram-raided one night and Ray decided it just wasn’t worth the personal risk for the sake of other people’s money. His first novel, THE BIG BLIND (PointBlank Press, 2004) draws on this croupier experience. It was originally intended to be a literary novel, but its impact on the crime-fiction world has been significant.

His second novel, SATURDAY'S CHILD (Polygon, 2006), introduced wayward private investigator Cal Innes, who had previously made his debut in one of Ray’s short stories. The Innes series continued with DONKEY PUNCH (Polygon, 2007) and NO MORE HEROES (Polygon, 2008) and concluded with BEAST OF BURDEN (Polygon 2009).

Ray’s short stories have appeared in many prestigious collections including Maxim Jakubowski’s annual Best of British Mysteries V.4 (Allison and Busby, 2006), Best New Noir (PointBlank, 2007) and The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime (Robinson 2009). Ray is also a regular contributor to crime fiction ezines and various music magazines. 

He currently lives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne with his wife and a fat, black cat named after a dead country singer. His web site is http://saturdayboy.tumblr.com/.

Books by Ray Banks

Beast of Burden: A Cal Innes Novel

by Ray Banks - Fiction, Thriller

In this installment of the Cal Innes series, our hero gives up acting as a pawn in Manchester’s underworld disputes. He has his own burdens to bear and scores to settle --- with the Tiernan family, with Sergeant Donkin, and with the darkness in his own past.