Paul Murdoch

Paul’s most recent book, Dead Dog Beach, is a tense, character-driven thriller weaving Glasgow gangland, rock bands and Mafia intrigue into a gripping story of love, loss and danger. This is a funny, fast-paced thriller suitable for 14 years and over, S3-S6. (Strong language appears at points in the story. Some scenes include moderate violence, consistent with gritty contemporary fiction.)

Paul also wrote The Magic Scales, a fantasy adventure featuring asthmatic hero James Peck, ideal for 9 to 12 years. Paul has an engaging imagineering workshop for schools that lets children create their own creatures and settings.

With a degree in zoology, Paul’s nature and well-being books explore local history and wildlife through a four-book series of walks. The ‘Nature’ of West Dunbartonshire was released in August 2022, and his talks on nature and wellbeing remain very popular.

Paul went on to write the children’s eco-thriller Windscape, which was nominated for the Grampian Children’s Book Award. (P5 onwards)

He often speaks to schools about environmental issues, discussing global warming and its possible effects. 

Paul’s book Sunny was described by The Scotsman as “a fast-moving adventure for children, aimed at tackling Scotland’s sectarianism and racism.”

His fitness books – Old Bloke Goes Running and Old Bloke Goes Swimming – offer an irreverent look at getting fit in later life. “Hilarious!” – The Scottish Sun. He presents on this too. 

Paul has over eighteen years’ experience of author visits across the UK and Europe and Indonesia, attending hundreds of schools, libraries, groups and festivals. He has spoken to more than 60,000 children in that time.

Paul is a podcaster and a presenter on TV and Radio. He open to designing specific workshops around a school’s chosen theme. He has PVG Disclosure and, for author events, public liability insurance.