Michael Cordy

Michael Cordy is a British novelist. He was born in Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana. Cordy spent much of his childhood in both West Africa and East Africa, India and Cyprus.

He was educated in the United Kingdom at The King's School, Canterbury, and the universities of Leicester and Durham.

After ten years in marketing and advertising, with his wife's encouragement, he became a novelist. His first novel, The Miracle Strain, took two years to complete and was published in 1997. Disney bought the film rights for $1.6 million and the novel reached no. 5 in The Sunday Times Bestseller list. An international success, it has since been published in more than twenty-five languages and over forty countries.

Another five novels followed: Crime Zero/The Crime Code, The Lucifer Code, The Venus Conspiracy, The Source and The Colour Of Death. All were published in the UK by Bantam Press and Corgi of Penguin Random House, and translated into several languages. Warner Bros optioned the film rights to The Source and the producers of Lord of The Rings and The Golden Compass optioned The Crime Code.

Michael Cordy's seventh and latest novel Manhattan Down was published in hardback in May 2025 to good reviews. The paperback is due in April 2026.

Reviews for Manhattan Down:

The Sunday Times - ‘Michael Cordy’s blend of heist, technology and geopolitical thriller is a riveting read’

Literary Review - ‘The plot is terrific, the writing punchy, the pace fast and the characters delightful. The twists add real piquancy to the tale.

Financial Times - ‘Cordy specialises in fast-paced, high-concept thrillers where the fate of multitudes, if not all humanity, is at stake.’

Express - ‘Manhattan Down is Cordy back at his brilliant best and ripe for another Hollywood buy up’

Personal life Michael Cordy lives in London with his wife Jenny and their daughter Phoebe. His latest novel Manhattan Down was published in May 2025 in Hardback by Penguin Random House. The paperback is out in April 2026. He is currently working on his eighth novel.