If you want a proper detective story you can’t go wrong with this. Skilfully managed with good suspense and lots of plot to keep tabs on, it’s certainly one of the best this month.
When the take-down of a violent criminal goes badly wrong, something doesn't feel right to Detective Sergeant Maddy Birch. and her uneasiness is compounded by her belief that someone is following her home...
Retired Detective Inspector Frank Elder's daughter, Katherine, is running wild. Elder's fears for his daughter are underscored by guilt - it was his involvement in a case that led directly to the abduction and rape which has so unbalanced Katherine's life.
Persuaded out of retirement, Elder reopens a cold case which could have devastating repercussions for the crime squad itself. Elder's investigations take place against the backdrop of his increasing concern for his daughter. He must battle his own demons before he can uncover the truth.
‘Ash and Bone starts where Flesh and Blood left off, in every sense. Harvey once again gets everything right, jangling the nerves and plucking the heart-strings as he leads us sure-footedly through a complex plot whose disparate elements he holds in perfect balance. Another marvellous read.’ Reginald Hill
'John Harvey continues to delight all readers who relish his hard-boiled gritty style and recognise the authenticity of his English inner city settings' Daily Mail
‘Immaculately engineered thriller...Harvey’s book is fast, fluent and exciting, with a pace and assurance that never lets up’ Literary Review
Author
About John Harvey
John Harvey lived and worked in Nottingham during the strike and witnessed the life at first hand. His depiction of the violence and anger is both wholly authentic and riveting. He is, as the Guardian has said ‘a master craftsman.’
Loved by critics, readers and authors alike, John Harvey’s books have sold over 1 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages. The first Charlie Resnick novel, Lonely Hearts, was named by The Times as one of the '100 Best Crime Novels of the Century'. His first novel featuring Detective Inspector Frank Elder, Flesh and Blood, won the CWA Silver Dagger in 2004, and a Barry Award for the Best British Crime Novel published in the US in 2004. In 2007 John Harvey was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger. He was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Nottingham in 2009 and by the University of Hertfordshire in 2013.
John has written for television and radio and, a published poet himself, between 1977 and 1999 ran Slow Dancer Press, publishing work by such writers as Simon Armitage and Lee Harwood, Kirsty Gunn and Jill Dawson, Sharon Olds and Lucille Clifton. Out of Silence, his New and Selected Poems, is published by Smith/Doorstop this May.
