The author caught out praising his own books on Amazon... and writing disparaging reviews of his rivals' works

ApologAuthor RJ Ellory, pictured, has been accused of using pseudonyms to try to remove negative stories on his Wikipedia page

Author RJ Ellory, pictured, has been accused of using pseudonyms to try to remove negative stories on his Wikipedia page

In any good crime thriller the dark arts of subterfuge and deception are an integral part of the plot.

But when such skills spill off the page, the result – even among the British crime-writing fraternity – is  rarely a nod of appreciation.

So the close-knit group of authors has been rocked by revelations that one of their number has been using fake identities to write glowing reviews of his own books and to post criticism of rivals.

Novelist RJ Ellory was forced to make a grovelling apology yesterday after it emerged he had been posting gushing praise of his own work – and attacking others’ novels – under an assumed name on Amazon.

The author, who won crime novel  of the year in 2010, seems to have been using at least two fake identities to rave about his writing on the site.

Posting as ‘Jelly Bean’, he wrote that his novel A Quiet Belief in Angels was ‘one of  the most moving books I’ve ever read’.

He continued: ‘It is so beautifully written I felt as though it enabled me to be a part of that era even though that can never actually happen.

'I would highly recommend this book to anyone who really wants to experience a class read.’

He also appears to have been posting as ‘Nicodemus Jones’, who described the same novel as a ‘modern masterpiece’.

‘Just buy it, read it, and make up your own mind. Whatever else it might do, it will touch your soul,’ he wrote.

But the same reviewer had fewer kind words for crime novel Dark Blood by Scottish writer Stuart MacBride.

He wrote: ‘This is the second of this author’s books I have read, and, to tell you the truth, I can’t be bothered any more.’

The reviews written by  Ellory, 47, date back at least four years. 

A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory
City Of Lies by RJ Ellory

Two of R.J. Ellory's crime fictions novels. The author praised himself on one review,  writing under another name he said:  'R.J. Ellory is one of the most talented authors of today' 

One of the reviews that RJ Ellory has admitted to writing under the name Jelly Bean

One of the reviews on Amazon that RJ Ellory has admitted to writing under the name Jelly Bean about his own book A Quiet Belief in Angels

He made little effort to hide his real identity, with a review by Nicodemus Jones signed with his real name, Roger, and another including the suggestion to ‘email me through my website www.rjellory.com... it comes direct to me’.

When contacted by the Mail yesterday, Ellory issued an apology.

He said in a statement: ‘The recent reviews – both positive and negative – that have been posted on my Amazon accounts are my responsibility and my responsibility alone.

‘I wholeheartedly regret the lapse of judgment that allowed personal opinions to be disseminated in this way and I would like to apologise to my readers and the writing community.’

The scandal comes after thriller writer Stephen  Leather admitted that he  used pseudonyms to speak about his books online to  ‘create a buzz’.

Speaking at a debate on e-books recorded for Radio 4 at the Crime Writing Festival in July, he said: ‘As soon as my book is out I’m on Facebook and Twitter several times a day talking about it.

So what was his verdict?

‘I’ll go on to forums and post there under my name and under various other names.

‘You build up this network of characters who talk about your books and sometimes have conversations with yourself.’

Questioned further on creating ‘sock-puppet accounts’, he replied: ‘Everyone does.’

But Susan Hill, author of  The Woman in Black, tweeted: ‘Once you’re found out reviewing yourself glowingly and dissing others your reputation will never ever recover.’

Crime writer Jeremy Duns, who has campaigned to expose the practice, criticised Ellory for giving his  work ‘rhapsodic reviews’ and giving ‘damning and very snide reviews to perceived rivals’.

The Crime Writers’ Association condemned the practice and announced moves to introduce a code of ethics.

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