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Graham Hurley is an award-winning TV documentary maker who now writes full time. He lived in Portsmouth for 20 years. He is married and has grown up children. He now lives in Exmouth, Devon.
Maxim Jakubowski's view on JOE FARADAY...
The investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series.
A Q & A with Graham Hurley
Who’s your favourite author?
The Alan Furst of The Polish Officer and The World at Night.
Where do you live? And why?
Portsmouth. Because so many people ask me why.
What’s the greatest influence on your writing?
Lin Rowden.
What is your philosophy for life?
Check the tide tables and watch for eddies.
Have you had any formal tuition in creative writing? If so, where and what? Did you find it useful?
BA/MA Cambridge University (English – no help at all). No formal tuition in creative writing except a pathological nosiness and a fascination with story. Profound doubts about collective literary endeavour. Why? Because, in the end, writing is a solitary business.
Did you always want to be an author? If not, what did you originally want to be and when and why did you change your mind?
Yes. And like most authors, I’m not sure why. But – emphatically – yes.
Who do you most admire and why?
My mum (seriously). Because she’s never failed to make the very best of an occasionally dodgy hand. Huge fortitude.
What jobs did you have before you started writing?
Ice cream salesman, deckchair attendant, lifeguard, prep school teacher (scripture and cricket), Radio Victory reporter, TV promotion scriptwriter, TV researcher, TV documentary director/producer, Oz TV cop series writer.
If your house was burning down what would you save?
Lin Rowden, the cats, a framed photo of the Otter estuary, me.
What do you do when you are not writing? How do you relax? What are your hobbies?
Sailing, cycling, nosing around, tussling with French, dreaming of the day Tony Blair resigns.
An intelligent, intricately plotted, and fabulously readable foray into The Second World War from a German perspective. Three men, Werner Nehmann from the Ministry of Propaganda, Georg Messner aide to Generaloberst Richthofen, and Wilhelm Schultz from the Military Intelligence Service, find themselves in the thick of the German attempt to capture Stalingrad. This is the fifth book in Graham Hurley’s Spoils of War series, featuring historical and fictional characters from different countries. Here the focus is Germany and we delve into the minds of such historical figures as Goebbels and Richthofen. It is however, the three fictional characters, in particular Werner, who take centre stage. In the main the story remains at a distance from direct fighting, nonetheless I was left in no doubt as to the reality of conflict. The mysteries of propaganda and intelligence wield their shadowy magic. This an intimate story set on a huge scale, the personal stories of the characters really highlights the struggle of the individual during war. Last Flight to Stalingrad is a dynamic, commanding slice of historical fiction that I highly recommend as one of our LoveReading Star Books.
Three random killings. Or something much, much worse? DS Jimmy Suttle is trying to get his life back on track. His marriage has fallen apart and he rarely sees his young daughter, Grace. But then a murder shuts the door on the chaos of his personal life...The victim was shot through the head at the wheel of his car on a lonely moorland road. The only witness? His two-year-old son, strapped into the rear child seat. Within days, two more killings, equally professional, equally without motive. Meanwhile, Suttle's estranged wife is embarking on an investigation of her own in the world of journalism. But the story brings her to the question at the very heart of Jimmy's case - what does it take to make a man kill?
A Maxim Jakubowski selected title. Despite twelve sterling titles in his Faraday and Winter gritty and atmospheric Portsmouth-set cop series, Graham Hurley is still a sorely under-appreciated crime writer, whom I would personally place on as high a pedestal as Ian Rankin, Val McDermid or Stuart MacBride. His new series features troubled DS Jimmy Suttle, a family man whose life has been shattered by the abduction and death of his daughter in an earlier volume and his ensuing estrangement from his journalist wife. Following the savage death in a West Country mansion haunted by the past of a rich old man whose complex, extended family still live under the same roof, the search for the truth leads Suttle to Africa and the Kenyan bush and uncovers uncomfortable truths. Strong emotional stuff and a gripping read. Sarah Broadhurst's view... Sadly Jim and Lizzie Suttle, police officer and journalist respectively, split after the kidnapping and death of their beautiful 2-year old daughter. Jim becomes involved in investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy ex-colonial gentleman hacked to death with his own machete. Lizzie becomes obsessed with finding a motive for her daughter’s killer. The two stories run parallel but hold a single theme, mental illness. This is an unusual tale, very clever and Hurley is one of the best in the police procedural area. Highly recommended.
December 2013 Book of the Month. Creator of the Portsmouth-based Joe Faraday police procedural novels takes a bit character from that long series, one Jimmy Suttle, and moves him, his wife and two-year old daughter to Dartmoor. Fans need to be patient to let this series build and to warm to the new characters, certainly Jimmy’s wife doesn’t take to the move. So we have half the book setting place and being fascinated by rowing and then we switch into what we’re used to, an intricate plot with several strands. It will be interesting to see how the series develops. In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Western Approaches a small number of Lovereading members were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Scroll down to read their reviews.
January 2013 Book of the Month. After killing off DI Faraday, Graham Hurley starts a new crime series with DS Jimmy Suttle who moves to the West Country for a quieter life after work in Portsmouth was destroying his life. Dreams, however, rarely match the reality of the situation and he is soon in charge of an increasingly complex and frustrating murder case that has him questioning why he moved in the first place... This is definitely a new series to follow right from the first book. In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Western Approaches a small number of Lovereading members were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Scroll down to read their reviews.
This is the 12th and final Faraday and Winter Portsmouth-based police procedural mystery. As the book opens with the discovery of DI Faraday’s body this really is the end of an era. The series of books with their compelling and realistic characters makes them perfect for fans of Ian Rankin’s Rebus.
December 2011 Book of the Month. Set in Portsmouth this series, with D I Joe Faraday and ex cop Paul Winter, gets better and better. Well plotted, compelling and realistic characters make it a guaranteed great read. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin’s Rebus.
A brutal hit-and-run killing opens the path to another 25-year-old crime. The brilliant new novel in the acclaimed Faraday series, from the author of NO LOVELIER DEATH.
The fifth Portsmouth-based DI Joe Faraday thriller gives further insight into this developing character as his son J-J faces a manslaughter charge. The publishers tell me Hurley’s sales’ position is higher than Ian Rankin’s Rebus novels when he delivered his fifth. I mention this only because I feel Faraday has the same appeal as Rebus and his Portsmouth a similar feel to Edinburgh’s dark side.Comparisons: Ian Rankin, Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill.Similar this month: Donna Leon, Hilary Bonner. Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: Joe Faraday; the investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series. Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
January 2010 Book of the Month. The latest instalment from Graham Hurley sees Faraday and Winter pitted against each other in another fantastic police procedural. Gruesome murders and crime lords with grudges bring more crime to the city of Portsmouth. Hurley is so convincing and so descriptive you will never want to visit the seaside town for fear of what might happen to you! Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
JOE FARADAY - the investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series. Lovereading view... The latest instalment from Graham Hurley sees Faraday and Winter pitted against each other in another fantastic police procedural. Gruesome murders and crime lords with grudges bring more crime to the city of Portsmouth. Hurley is so convincing and so descriptive you will never want to visit the seaside town for fear of what might happen to you! Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
The 8th Joe Faraday novel has DC Winter undercover, dangerous and wondering if crime might just pay! This is perhaps the author’s best book yet, dark, hypnotic, well-crafted and very impressive police procedural stuff. You’ll love it. Comparison: Mark Billingham, Peter James, Peter Robinson. Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: Joe Faraday; the investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series. Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
A really gripping page-turner with totally unexpected resolutions. Hurley just gets better with each book. This one involves two separate cases being investigated by two friends, DI Joe Faraday who plays by the book, and DC Paul Winter who is not averse to stepping over the lines. The solving of the two crimes is both bizarre and disturbing with Faraday and Winter providing their own solutions! It’s terrific stuff.Comparison: Peter James, Peter Robinson, John Harvey. Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: Joe Faraday; the investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series. Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
A Portsmouth/Isle of Wight police procedural tale, the sixth in the Joe Faraday series, jumps the reader from one crime to another eventually linking them, but for most of the time it could almost be two books. The rather strange relationship between a hooker and an old, unwell PC adds interesting colour to a fragmented tale that keeps you on your toes and is surprisingly unputdownable.Similar this month: Ann Cleeves.Comparison: Simon Kernick, John Harvey, Reginald Hill. Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: Joe Faraday; the investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series. Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
When a prison guard is found murdered Joe Faraday begins investigating and finds the victim is not the most savoury of characters himself. Another meaty investigation with brilliant characterisation and twists and turns to keep you on your toes. Graham Hurley is not an author to pass by. Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: Joe Faraday; the investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series. Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
Graham Hurley is at the forefront of British crime and he has written a particularly vivid and realistic novel of the overwhelming tide of 21st century crime.
Faraday once again pounding the streets of Portsmouth’s unforgiving city. As well as a gritty, edgy police procedural Hurley makes a valid social comment on the breakdown of society that nobody seems to care about. Great characters and plotlines keep you gripped from start to end. Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: Joe Faraday; the investigations of a Portsmouth cop and a fascinating look into crime on the British coast. If you like Ian Rankin’s Rebus, this should be your next step. NO LOVELIER DEATH is the 9th book in the Faraday series. Joe Faraday series:1. Turnstone (2000)2. The Take (2001)3. Angels Passing (2002)4. Deadlight (2003)5. Cut to Black (2004)6. Blood and Honey (2006)7. One Under (2007)8. The Price of Darkness (2008)9. No Lovelier Death (2009)
'Historical fiction of a high order ... Hurley's descriptions of the cauldron of Stalingrad, and of Shakespearean vengeance are well worth relishing' The TimesBerlin, 1942. For Werner Nehmann, a journalist at the Ministry of Propaganda, the dizzying victory of the last four years has felt like a party without end. But the Reich's attention has turned East, and as winter sets in, the mood is turning. Werner's boss, Joseph Goebbels, can sense it. His words have propelled Germany towards its greater destiny and he won't - he can't - let morale falter now. But the Minister of Propaganda is uneasy and in his discomfort has pulled Werner into his close confidence. And here, amid the power struggle between the Nazi Chieftains, Werner will make his mistake and begin his descent into the hell of Stalingrad...
'A searing portrait of the Nazi elite as the war turns against them. Raw, shocking and meticulously researched' TIM SEBASTIANA blockbuster thriller set against one of the most horrific scenes in the Second World War. On Sunday 22nd June 1941 at 03.05, three-and-a-half million Axis troops burst into the Soviet Union along a 1,800-mile front to launch Operation Barbarossa. The southern thrust of the attack was aimed at the Caucuses and the oil fields beyond. Kyiv was the biggest city to stand in their way. Within six weeks, the city was under siege. Surrounded by Panzers, bombed and shelled day and night, Soviet Commissar Nikita Krushchev was amongst the senior Soviet officials co-ordinating the defence. Amid his cadre of trusted personnel is British defector Bella Menzies, once with MI5, now with the NKVD, the Soviet secret police. With the fall of the city inevitable, the Soviets plan a bloody war of terror that will extort a higher toll on the city's inhabitants than the invaders. As the noose tightens, Bella finds herself trapped, hunted by both the Russians and the Germans. As the local saying has it: life is dangerous - no one survives it.
'A searing portrait of the Nazi elite as the war turns against them. Raw, shocking and meticulously researched' TIM SEBASTIANA blockbuster thriller set against one of the most horrific scenes in the Second World War. On Sunday 22nd June 1941 at 03.05, three-and-a-half million Axis troops burst into the Soviet Union along a 1,800-mile front to launch Operation Barbarossa. The southern thrust of the attack was aimed at the Caucuses and the oil fields beyond. Kyiv was the biggest city to stand in their way. Within six weeks, the city was under siege. Surrounded by Panzers, bombed and shelled day and night, Soviet Commissar Nikita Krushchev was amongst the senior Soviet officials co-ordinating the defence. Amid his cadre of trusted personnel is British defector Bella Menzies, once with MI5, now with the NKVD, the Soviet secret police. With the fall of the city inevitable, the Soviets plan a bloody war of terror that will extort a higher toll on the city's inhabitants than the invaders. As the noose tightens, Bella finds herself trapped, hunted by both the Russians and the Germans. As the local saying has it: life is dangerous - no one survives it.
'Historical fiction of a high order ... Hurley's descriptions of the cauldron of Stalingrad, and of Shakespearean vengeance are well worth relishing' The TimesBerlin, 1942. For Werner Nehmann, a journalist at the Ministry of Propaganda, the dizzying victory of the last four years has felt like a party without end. But the Reich's attention has turned East, and as winter sets in, the mood is turning. Werner's boss, Joseph Goebbels, can sense it. His words have propelled Germany towards its greater destiny and he won't - he can't - let morale falter now. But the Minister of Propaganda is uneasy and in his discomfort has pulled Werner into his close confidence. And here, amid the power struggle between the Nazi Chieftains, Werner will make his mistake and begin his descent into the hell of Stalingrad...
'Liked this. Went someway to plugging the ginormous hole that Philip Kerr's sad passing has left in my life' DERMOT O'LEARY. Spring, 1941. The war in the West is as good as won. Nation after nation has fallen before the Reich's armies. Only Britain endures, her cities under nightly bombardment from the Luftwaffe. Berlin would happily call off the bombers in exchange for a peace treaty. Hitler would like to persuade Britain to turn her back on Europe, to attend to her precious Empire instead, to allow Germany a free hand to deal with the real enemy in the East. Peace, perhaps, but at what cost? For Churchill the price is too high; but for others within the British establishment, it is a price worth paying. On both sides of the channel, advocates of total war or peace-at-all-costs are at each others' throats - all unaware that Rudolf Hess, Hitler's quiet, contemplative deputy, has already taken radical steps to change the fortunes of the war...
From a critically acclaimed author comes the next instalment of the Wars Within series. 1941. Dieter Merz is the Reich's most celebrated fighter ace and his aerial prowess has brought him into close contact with the top echelons of Hitler's regime. But everything in the Nazi state still comes at a price. If Dieter wants help for an injured friend, he must inform on the modest, lifelong confidant always at Hitler's side: Rudolf Hess. Meanwhile Scotsman and ex-marine Tam Moncrieff is working for M15, attempting to sound out Germany's intention of withdrawal. With most of Europe already fallen to Hitler's armies, Germany considers the war won. Berlin would be only too happy to call off the bombers and the U-boats in exchange for a formal peace treaty. But only if the English to turn their backs on Europe and attend to their precious Empire - leaving Germany the rest of the territorial spoils. With Churchill refusing to negotiate and intelligence agencies at each other's throats, Rudolf Hess becomes the unexpected catalyst that changes the fortunes of the war. Praise for the author: 'Tense, absorbing and faultlessly plotted, this thoughtful thriller weaves it all together' SUNDAY TIMES Crime Club (Star Pick). 'Liked this. Went someway to plugging the ginormous hole that Philip Kerr sad passing has left in my life' DERMOT O'LEARY. 'Hurley brings an almost noirlike sensibility to the surprising finale' BOOKLIST. 'So well-written you can smell the sweat and taste the fear' PETER MAY. 'Beautifully constructed, the result is compelling and richly entertaining' DAILY MAIL.
1937. Flying for the infamous Condor Legion over the battlefields of Spain's civil war, Merz has been able to unleash the fearsome potential of the Luftwaffe's newest weapon against his opponents. In Dieter's hands, the Messerschmitt Bf-109 is as graceful as a matador's killing strike: la estocada. Scotsman and ex-marine Tam Moncrieff is recruited by a nameless intelligence agency in London to go to Germany and sound out Hitler's resolve. Does he really intend to invade Czechoslovakia? Do his generals support him? Can the march to war be stopped? As duty collides with conscience, fate will bring both men together. In a world wedded to violence and ambition, desperate steps must be taken. To avoid war a killing strike is needed: la estocada. The question is, who is the matador, who is the bull? Tense, absorbing and faultlessly plotted. SUNDAY TIMES
Barely half of the Bomber Command's aircrews survive a full tour, but wireless operator Billy Angell has beaten the odds and completed his 30th - and final - mission. Now, Billy is due two-weeks leave, a posting to a training squadron and a six-month exemption from active duty. Except that MI5 need an airman to drop into Nazi-occupied France. MI5 are interested in Helene Lafosse, a Frenchwoman keeping unusual company in her small family chateau in the depths of the Touraine. Helene has begun an affair with a senior Abwehr intelligence officer, who, in return, has turned a blind eye to the succession of Jews, refugees, resistance fighters and downed Allied airmen to whom she offers shelter. MI5 believe they can exploit this relationship and plant a false lead about the anticipated allied invasion of northern France. It falls to Billy, playing a downed airman, to find Helene, to win her confidence and to plant a lie that will only make sense to her German lover. But this time, Billy isn't flying at 20,000 feet and he won't be able to escape the incendiary consequences of his actions. Hurley's capable and understated characterization makes his lead's story plausible and engaging PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. A Cracking thriller. THE TIMES
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