Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Jeff Abbott

ジェフ・アボット

Jeff Abbott

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1963-01-01 （Dallas, Texas, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Dallas, Texas → Austin, Texas

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer
Active Years
1994-
Nominations
Edgar Award nominee (paperback category and others), Anthony Award nominee (paperback category and others), Barry Award nominee (paperback category), ITW Thriller Award nominee (Panic)

Education

Rice University
History and English
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Holds degrees in history and English

Awards

Agatha Award — Best First Novel
1994
Work: Do Unto Others
Category: Best First Novel
Organization: Agatha Awards (Malice Domestic)
Result: winner
Macavity Award — Best First Mystery
1995
Work: Do Unto Others
Category: Best First Mystery
Organization: Macavity Awards (Mystery Readers International)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Do Unto Others

1994 Mystery

Debut novel introducing Jordan Poteet, a librarian who becomes embroiled in a mystery in a small Texas town. Focuses on crime and interpersonal tensions.

Small-town communityJustice and revengeOrdinary people in danger
Translations
  • Do Unto Others (Hayakawa Publishing, 1997, Japanese translation by Koji Sato)

Panic

2005 Thriller

Standalone suspense novel about ordinary people caught in extraordinary danger and their struggle to survive.

SurvivalBetrayalHigh-paced action
Adaptations
  • [Film (in development)] Panic
Translations
  • Panic (Village Books, 2008, Japanese translation by Sanpei Kamata)

Black Jack Point

2002 Mystery/Thriller

A Whit Mosley novel combining darker thriller elements as the judge and coroner becomes involved in a complex case.

Justice and truthDark pastsLonely struggle

Cut and Run

2003 Thriller

A thriller about flight and pursuit, emphasizing character conflicts and suspenseful sequences.

PursuitSuspenseLoss of identity

Bibliography

  • Do Unto Others (1994)
  • The Only Good Yankee (1995)
  • Promises of Home (1996)
  • Distant Blood (1996)
  • A Kiss Gone Bad (2001)
  • Black Jack Point (2002)
  • Cut and Run (2003)
  • Panic (2005)
  • Fear (2006)
  • Collision (Run in UK, 2008)
  • Trust Me (2009)
  • Adrenaline (2010)
  • The Last Minute (2011)
  • Downfall (2013)
  • Inside Man (2014)

Adaptations

  • Panic — film in development (Weinstein Company attached at time of reporting)
  • Collision (Run in the UK) — film rights reportedly held by 20th Century Fox

Translations of Works

  • Do Unto Others — Japanese translation (Hayakawa, 1997)
  • A Kiss Gone Bad — Japanese translation (Hayakawa, 2004, translation by Yasuko Yoshizawa)
  • Black Jack Point — Japanese translation (Hayakawa, 2004)
  • Cut and Run — Japanese translation (Hayakawa, 2005)
  • Panic — Japanese translation (Village Books, 2008, translation by Sanpei Kamata)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Fast-paced thriller proseBlend of traditional mystery elements with modern suspenseCharacter-driven scenes
Recurring Motifs
Ordinary people drawn into extraordinary dangerLoss and recovery of familyHidden pasts

Legacy

Jeff Abbott is recognized for moving from traditional mystery to contemporary thrillers, with bestsellers translated in multiple countries. His debut won multiple first-novel awards, and several works have attracted film interest.

In Popular Culture

  • Several novels have been reported to have film adaptation projects

Trivia

  • He earned degrees in history and English from Rice University.
  • His debut novel Do Unto Others won the Agatha Award and the Macavity Award in first-novel categories.
  • Resident of Austin, Texas.