RAYMOND BENSON is the author of 26+ published books. In 1996, Raymond was commissioned by the James Bond literary copyright holders to take over writing the 007 novels. His first entry in the series, ZERO MINUS TEN, was published in 1997 and serialized in Playboy Magazine, and a 007 short story (BLAST FROM THE PAST) appeared in the January 1997 issue of Playboy. Subsequent Bond novels were THE FACTS OF DEATH (1998, also excerpted in Playboy), HIGH TIME TO KILL (1999), DOUBLESHOT (2000, and excerpted in Playboy), NEVER DREAM OF DYING (2001), and THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO (2002). An anthology of some of Raymond's Bond novels, entitled THE UNION TRILOGY, was published in 2008, and a second anthology, CHOICE OF WEAPONS, in 2010. Raymond’s novelizations of the Bond films TOMORROW NEVER DIES, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, and DIE ANOTHER DAY were also published in 1997, 1999, and 2002, respectively. His book THE JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION was first published in 1984 and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award by Mystery Writers of America for Best Biographical/Critical Work.

Raymond's latest work is THE BLACK STILETTO (September 2011), the first in a series of action/adventure novels featuring a female vigilante working in 1950s New York City. The sequel, THE BLACK STILETTO: BLACK & WHITE was published in May 2012. THE BLACK STILETTO: STARS & STRIPES will be published April 2013. See the official website here.

HOMEFRONT: THE VOICE OF FREEDOM, co-written with Hollywood director/screenwriter John Milius, was published in 2011. Raymond's first in a series of "rock 'n' roll thrillers," A HARD DAY'S DEATH, was published in 2008. The sequel, DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE, was published in March 2009. METAL GEAR SOLID, a tie-in to Konami's internationally-popular videogame franchise, was published in trade paperback in 2008; a sequel was published in 2009.

Raymond has also written non-Bond novels: FACE BLIND (2003), EVIL HOURS (2004), SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS (2006), ARTIFACT OF EVIL (2011), and TORMENT (2011). His recent works, TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL and its sequel, TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL—OPERATION BARRACUDA (both written with the pseudonym “David Michaels”), were NY Times Best-Sellers in 2004 and 2005. His novel HOMEFRONT--THE VOICE OF FREEDOM, co-written with John Milius, was published early 2011.

As a game designer, Raymond wrote and designed DARK SEED II, a sequel to Cyberdreams Inc.'s award-winning graphic adventure based on the works of horror/fantasy artist H. R. Giger. Raymond also wrote and designed the critically-acclaimed graphic adventure, RETURN OF THE PHANTOM for MicroProse Software, Inc. Prior to that, for Origin Systems, he wrote the screenplay and directed the story for the best-selling ULTIMA VII--THE BLACK GATE. For Viacom New Media, Raymond co-designed and wrote the screenplay for a CD-ROM adventure based on the popular Nickelodeon show, ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? (winner--Newsweek Editors' Choice Award and Parents Choice Award for Excellence), and designed and served as associate producer for a CD-ROM based on the popular book and film 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 other shows, including Lincoln Center Institute's touring production of CHARLOTTE'S WEB, the world premiere of Thomas Brasch's PAPER TIGER, and Frank Gagliano's THE RESURRECTION OF JACKIE CRAMER. In 2005 his play SECOND CHANCE (co-written with Doug Redenius), was performed by Darknight Theatrical Productions in Chicago. He is the recipient of ten ASCAP Popular Music Awards.

Raymond has taught screening classes and courses in film theory at New York’s New School for Social Research, courses in "Interactive Screenwriting" at Columbia College Chicago, and Film Studies at W. R. Harper College. With Chicago's DAILY HERALD film critic Dann Gire, Raymond presents a popular live monthly program in the Chicago area entitled DANN AND RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB. Raymond has been honored in Naoshima, Japan, with the erection of a permanent museum dedicated to one of his novels, and he is also an Ambassador for Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture. Raymond is an active member of International Thriller Writers Inc., Mystery Writers of America, the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, a full member of ASCAP, and served on the Board of Directors of The Ian Fleming Foundation for sixteen years. He is based in the Chicago area.

Visit Raymond's website at www.raymondbenson.com.

JUST SOME OF THE WORDS OF PRAISE RAYMOND BENSON HAS RECEIVED...

"[THE BLACK STILETTO] mashup of the work of Gloria Steinem, Ian Fleming, and Mario Puzo, all under the editorship of Stan Lee... prime escapism!"
--BOOKLIST
"[THE BLACK STILETTO One of the most original heroines I've read in a long time. Adventure and suspense made this book a rollicking good read. But the story is about much more...it's about relationships and just how well we know--or not--even the people we love most."
--SANDRA BROWN
"[THE BLACK STILETTO: BLACK & WHITE] "This second installment in the Black Stiletto series is just damn fun, effectively mixing the story of young, fearless Judy and the poignant struggle of Martin to protect his mother from an onslaught of publicity that she won't understand. Sheer entertainment."
--BOOKLIST
"A sizzling story full of classic thriller twists, humor, and a dead-on look at the music business. A HARD DAY'S DEATH is number one with a bullet."
--Jeffery Deaver, author of THE SLEEPING DOLL

"[A HARD DAY'S DEATH] A frantic dash through the world of rock 'n' rol. Thrills a-plenty and backstage passes to the magical mystery musical twilight zone."
--Ian Anderson of JETHRO TULL

"Benson is a top-class thriller craftsman who knows showbiz and music like the back of his hand. An unbeatable combination."
--Lee Child

"Raymond Benson...has produced an original thriller whose results are as exciting as any of 007's adventures. SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS tells the story of a suburban Chicago schoolteacher and her teenage son whose quiet lives are roiled just under the surface by a strong current of dark secrets. Mom may or may not have been a porn star in her younger days, and when a tabloid magazine gets hold of the story, all hell breaks loose. What's certain is that she stole a few million in diamonds from the mob and the wiseguys want them back. Benson turns the screws on mother and son unmercifully, giving the story lots of tension and suspense. SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS is a gem."
--David J. Montgomery, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"When a teenage boy discovers that his mother once starred in pornographic films, he is, predictably, shocked. This is a side of his mom he'd never suspected, but the truth is far more complicated than even your David can possibly imagine. Benson, best known for his popular James Bond novels, proves here that he is equally adept at more realistic thrillers. This ever-more-intricate story (which involves a two-decade-old murder and several buried secrets) may remind some readers of the novels of James Grippando, who tends to structure his high-octane thrillers on families with closets full of secrets. The relationship between David and his mother, Diane (aka Lucy Luv), is key to the drama, and Benson layers enough twists and turns to keep mother and son, not to mention the reader, searching desperately for the truth."
--David Pitt, BOOKLIST

"It's clear that Benson is the best of the successors to Bond creator Fleming. Fans of Fleming's original novels can pick up a Benson adventure and feel right at home."
--BOOKLIST

"I may upset a few Fleming devotees by suggesting that Benson, while obviously lacking [Ian] Fleming’s sheer innovative vision, is by far a finer descriptive writer. The smells and sound of Hong Kong seem to seep out of these pages and the effect is both intoxicating and, to some degree, educational. Benson isn’t afraid, on occasion, to shower the reader in the heady results of his research. Bond’s tackle with Triad forces, over a seemingly in-depth Chinese game called Mahjong, is vividly detailed. So much, in fact, that Bond’s grasp of the game seems unlikely, to say the least. This detailing returns later in the book as Bond observes a Triad ritual, and one can’t help feeling that the author, too, must have sneaked into the inner sanctums of this mysterious, ancient and all-powerful oriental force… Benson shows a good deal of skill in reconstructing this character… ZERO MINUS TEN does succeed, and against enormous odds. Not enough perhaps, to appease the anger of the Fleming trainspotters, for they didn’t even accept [Kingsley] Amis. Personally, however, I’d feel no sense of irony in proudly filing this next to my prized first edition of FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE. Yes, it really is that good. Bond is back, in hugely entertaining style..."
--MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, UK

"[HIGH TIME TO KILL]-- Benson...shows why he was chosen to pick up from stylish John Gardner the franchise on Ian Fleming’s deathproof hero. No one can ever match FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE, Fleming’s dark masterpiece of serious Bondian daring...but Benson’s latest will satisfy those destined never to have the thrill of discovery FROM RUSSIA gave us in the 1950s... Smartly plotted all the way, right down to a black climax echoing the final page of ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE."
--KIRKUS REVIEWS

"[NEVER DREAM OF DYING]...it’s clear that [Benson] knows his material backward and forward. It’s also clear that he’s an adroit writer, the best of the successors to Bond creator Fleming. Fans of Fleming’s original novels can pick up a Benson adventure and feel right at home, and readers coming to the series without any previous knowledge of 007 (if there are any such readers left in the world) will learn everything they need to know about him from this tight, tough, thrilling yarn."--
--BOOKLIST

THE BLACK STILETTO (September 2011; Oceanview Publishing) is the first in a series of action/adventure novels featuring a female protaginist in the 1950s. HOMEFRONT: THE VOICE OF FREEDOM, co-written with Hollywood director/screenwriter John Milius, is a tie-in to the popular videogame. DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE, a rock 'n' roll thriller published in mass market paperback (March 2009) by Leisure/Dorchester; METAL GEAR SOLID 2--SONS OF LIBERTY, a tie-in to Konami's internationally-popular videogame franchise, published in November 2009 (Del Rey); and an anthology of James Bond novels (and a short story), THE UNION TRILOGY, published in trade paperback in October 2008 (Pegasus Books). A second anthology, CHOICE OF WEAPONS, was published August 2010.

James Bond continuation novels published between 1997 and 2002 (six original novels, three film novelizations, and three short stories).

Nominated for Edgar Allan Poe Award (Best Biographical/Critical Work of 1984) for THE JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION

SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS-- Winner of the "Lovey" (Readers' Choice Award) for Best Thriller of 2006 at the "Love is Murder Conference for Authors and Readers of Mystery, Thriller, Horror, and Romance.

THE 007 MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO MUSEUM-- erected in Japan, dedicated to Raymond's 2002 James Bond novel.

METAL GEAR SOLID-- Winner of the "Lovey" (Readers' Choice Award) for Best Sci Fi/Horror/Paranormal Novel of 2008 at the "Love is Murder Conference for Authors and Readers of Mystery, Thriller, Horror, and Romance.

DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE-- Nominated for Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original PI Novel of 2009

THE BLACK STILETTO series (three books so far), women's action/adventure about a female costumed vigilante in the Eisenhower/Kennedy years ("A female Shadow meets Mad Men") (foreign translation and graphic novel rights available);
TORMENT, a stand-alone crime thriller with a hint of the supernatural (all print rights except Italian translation available; media rights available);
ARTIFACT OF EVIL, the first in a thriller series featuring P.I. "Red" River (all print rights available; media rights available);
A HARD DAY'S DEATH, a 'rock 'n' roll mystery' full of thrills and humor, the sequel is DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE (foreign publishing and film rights to both available);
FACE BLIND (screenplay to Raymond's published novel, media rights available; foreign rights except Italy are available);
EVIL HOURS (screenplay to Raymond's published novel; media rights available; foreign rights except Italy are available);
SWEETIE'S DIAMONDS (film treatment to Raymond's published novel; media rights available; foreign rights except Italy available)