His books, in particular the crime series around forensic anthropologist Dr David Hunter, have sold 21 million copies worldwide, and have had particular success in Germany and Scandinavia.
[1] After earning a Master of Arts degree in English, Beckett taught in Spain and played in several bands before becoming a freelance journalist.
A crime novel centred on a forensic anthropologist, Dr David Hunter, as the protagonist, The Chemistry of Death was shortlisted for the 2006 Gold Dagger award.
Having watched—and participated in—"live" exercises involving manufactured crime scenes containing real decaying corpses, and having witnessed the sciences employed to ascertain how, when and where death occurred, Beckett was inspired to create a central character who is, in his own words, "vulnerable" and "very human", while authoritative and knowledgeable regarding forensic anthropology.
[8] In 2023, a TV series with 6 episodes named the chemistry of death was released, starring Harry Treadaway as David Hunter, Ellen Francis, and Rosa Whimster, written by Sukey Fisher and directed by Richard Clark.