Another Death in the Family

Mark Pryor, best known for penning the Hugo Marston and Henri Lefort mystery novels, “passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on October 8, 2026,” according to an online obituary. He was only 59 years old.

The same remembrance explains that Pryor was born in Welwyn Garden City, England, in May 1967; that he studied journalism at Strad Broke College in Sheffield, England, as well as at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; and that he subsequently attended Duke University School of Law, before moving on to serve as an assistant district attorney in Travis County, Texas, for 14 years. He subsequently went into private practice as a criminal defense lawyer.

Pryor produced 16 novels over the course of his career, including The Bookseller (2012), his first yarn starring Marston, an ex-FBI agent from Texas, now heading up security at the U.S. Embassy in Paris; 2022’s Die Around Sundown, which introduced World War II-era Paris police inspector Lefort; and a pair of tales featuring “Dominic, a charming Englishman, prosecutor, and musician in Austin, Texas, [who] is also a psychopath.” Most recently, he returned to Hugo Marston in 2026’s The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris (2026), which imagined his protagonist having become a crime-solving book retailer. A second entry in that revival series, A Vintage Murder in Paris, is due out from Kensington Publishing in March 2027.

“A private celebration of life will be held to honor Mark's life and legacy,” says his obituary. “In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests patronizing and supporting your local bookstore, in memory of Mark’s passion for literature and his unwavering support for the written word.” A fitting tribute, if there ever was one.

READ MORE: “Mark Pryor, May His Memory Be a Blessing,” by James W. Ziskin (Criminal Minds).