Raymond Benson is the author of over forty published books, including The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way (winner of the IPPY Gold Medal in Mystery, 2022), Blues in the Dark (2019), In the Hush of the Night (2018) and The Secrets on Chicory Lane (2017). Raymond is most well-known for being the third—and first American—author to be commissioned to write James Bond continuation novels. Six original works and three movie novelizations were published worldwide between 1997-2002. His debut 007 novel, Zero Minus Ten, is being reprinted in the UK in 2023. Raymond’s book The James Bond Bedside Companion, first published in 1984, was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award by Mystery Writers of America for Best Biographical/Critical Work. His most recent work in the Bond Universe is the first-ever Felix Leiter novel, The Hook and the Eye (2025).

The Black Stiletto and its four subsequent titles were critically-acclaimed and award-winning serial thrillers published between 2011 and 2014. The e-book anthology, The Black Stiletto—The Complete Saga, has been a continual best-seller on Amazon and other platforms. The serial is currently being developed as a television series or feature film in Hollywood. Other original suspense novels include Sweetie’s Diamonds, A Hard Day’s Death, and Dark Side of the Morgue, the latter nominated for the Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original PI Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America.

Raymond’s tie-in books, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell—Operation Barracuda (both written under the pseudonym “David Michaels”), were NY Times Best-Sellers. He wrote novelizations of the popular videogames, Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2—Sons of Liberty, and co-wrote with filmmaker John Milius Homefront—The Voice of Freedom (a prequel to THQ’s videogame). He also penned Hitman: Damnation, a novel in IO Interactive’s Hitman videogame universe, and Dying Light—Nightmare Row, a tie-in to Techland’s zombie videogame. Raymond is also a sought-after ghostwriter.

Among his work as a game designer, Raymond wrote and designed Dark Seed II, based on the works of horror/fantasy artist H. R. Giger. Other computer games for which Raymond was designer and/or head writer include Ultima VII–The Black Gate, Are You Afraid of the Dark? (winner–Newsweek Editors’ Choice Award and Parents Choice Award for Excellence), and The Indian in the Cupboard (winner–Digital Hollywood Awards for Best Children’s CD-ROM Computer Game and Best Overall CD-ROM Computer Game).

Raymond also spent over a decade in New York City directing numerous stage productions and composing music for many shows. He recently won “Best Original Score” from the Vegas Movie Awards for his piano score for the short film, Ghosts in the Ink (2019). A noted film historian, Raymond has taught courses in film genres and history at such venues as New York’s New School for Social Research and College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He writes for Cinema Retro magazine, and has presented popular film lectures in the Chicago area with Daily Herald movie critic Dann Gire.

The government of Naoshima, Japan, honored Raymond with the erection of a museum dedicated to one of his 007 novels (it was open for eleven years), and he was an Ambassador for Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture for twelve years. He is an active member of International Thriller Writers Inc., Mystery Writers of America, the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, the Private Eye Writers of America, and a full member of ASCAP. He served on the Board of Directors of The Ian Fleming Foundation from 1995-2011.

Learn more at raymondbenson.com.