A California native, Michael Newton published 357 books under his own name and various pseudonyms since 1977. He began writing professionally as a "ghost" for author Don Pendleton on the best-selling Executioner series and continues his work on that series today. With 136 episodes published to date, Newton has tripled the number of Mack Bolan novels completed by creator Pendleton himself.
Newton's first book under his own name was Monsters, Mysteries and Man (1979), a survey of unexplained phenomena for younger readers. While the majority of Newton's published books have been novels--including westerns, political thrillers and psychological suspense--he is equally known for nonfiction, primarily true crime and reference books.
His list of accolades is long. Newton’s Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (2000) is currently in its second edition. The Invisible Empire (2001) won the Florida Historical Society’s 2002 Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book in Florida History. His Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology (2005) was named as one of twelve books on the American Library Association’s 2006 List of Outstanding Reference Sources. His western, Hanging Judge, was a finalist in the 2010 Western Writers of America’s Spur Awards. His western, Manhunt, won the 2010 Peacemaker Award from the Western Fictioneers, and his novel, Avenging Angels, was a finalist in the same category, and was also a finalist for the 2011 Best Original Mass Market Paperback for the Western Writers of America’s Spur Awards. His western, Blood Trails, was nominated for the 2011 WWA Spur Awards for Best Western Novel. His western West of the Big River: The Avenging Angel was a finalist in the 2014 Peacemaker Awards for Best Western Novel by the Western Fictioneers. He also received the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from Western Fictioneers.
He passed away on September 6, 2021 in Nashville, Indiana.
