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Matt Johnson - Editorial Expert

About Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson served as a soldier and Metropolitan Police officer for nearly twenty-five years from 1975 until 1999. He is the author of three crime/spy fiction novels Wicked Game (2016), Deadly Game (2017) and End Game (2018) published by Orenda Books. His debut novel was listed for the CWA John Creasey Dagger in 2016.

Blown off his feet at the London Baltic Exchange bombing in 1992, one of the first police officers on the scene of the 1982 Regent's Park bombing, Matt was also at the Libyan People's Bureau shooting in 1984 where he escorted his mortally wounded friend and colleague, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital.

Hidden wounds took their toll. In 1999, Matt was discharged from the police with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Whilst undergoing treatment, he was encouraged by his counsellor to write about his career and his experience of murders, shootings and terrorism. 

One evening, Matt sat at his computer and started to weave these notes into a work of fiction that he described as having a tremendously cathartic effect on his own condition. He has used his detailed knowledge and memory to create what has been described by many readers as a fast paced, exciting and authentic tale of modern day policing.

Matt Johnson is living proof that PTSD is a condition that can be controlled and overcome with the right help and support. He has been described by many fans as an inspiration to fellow sufferers.

A keen biker, Matt rides a '99 Harley Davidson Fatboy and is patron to the UK based ‘Forces On line' and ‘Armed Forces Bikers' charities.

In his spare time Matt keeps honey bees and produces his own honey. He scuba dives, collects unusual hats and enjoys hill-walking with his three dogs at his home in Wales near the Brecon Beacons.

More information, including book tour dates and festival appearances at www.mattjohnsonauthor.com

Newsletter sign-up at https://mattjohnsonauthor.com/newsletter-signup/

Matt is now represented by James Wills at Watson-Little Literary Agents in London. He is available for interview either through Watson Little and can be contacted by email matt@mattjohnsonauthor.com and through twitter @Matt_Johnson_UK.

 

Latest Reviews By Matt Johnson

The moment I held Rock Pool for the first time, I sensed I was in for a real treat. The book (hardback) feels like an item of quality. It has a beautifully designed and illustrated front cover, a sturdy jacket, and is printed on very good quality paper. Credit must also go to Myfanwy Vernon-Hunt for the design, which is first class.  The only remaining question, would the content match up? Rock Pool is a personal account of a life spent exploring our coastal rocks, our beaches, and the life therein. It’s not, as I first believed, ... View Full Review
As I first approached Nick’s second account of his life as a professional mountain climber, I thought the title a little unusual. I wondered if, perhaps, it is a term peculiar to the world he inhabits. Not so, I discovered as I read. It is far more generic, and a more apt title for his story I could not imagine. Tides describes Nick’s highs and lows, his peaks and troughs, the times when things go well and ambitions are fulfilled, and those occasions when failure, fear, self-doubt or grief are present.  I read Tides at ... View Full Review
Anyone familiar with Mount Everest – the world’s highest peak – will also know the names Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing. In 1953, these two men were the first to stand atop this mountain. The equipment they used to achieve this remarkable feat making it all the more something of legend. Even before I first opened Michael Gill’s book, I sensed I was holding something rather special. It did not disappoint. Michael was Hillary’s friend and expedition companion for 50 years. It shows. The detail in this book is incredible and it never ceases to ... View Full Review
How many times have novice walkers like me found ourselves somewhere in the UK with time to spare and a desire to get out in the fresh air, to exercise and to experience our wonderful landscape? Oh, for a simple to use reference book that will tell you where to park, provide a map, explain the terrain (and distance), and maybe give you a little insight as to what to expect to see on the route. Here it is! This isn’t a book about the ‘best’ walks in Britain – that being a subjective argument, of ... View Full Review
Perfect for the wine novice! If, like me, you wonder at the huge range of wines on the shelves of a shop, the strengths and weaknesses of different types, how a wine you like that is produced in Argentina compares to its counterpart from California, then this book is for you. If, like me, you also enjoy wine but would like to widen your range of enjoyment, this book will tell you how. In easy to follow, non-patronising chapters, it covers history, production, tastes and regions – to name just a few of the wide-ranging aspects of wine production. It ... View Full Review
As 6th June, the 75th anniversary of the world’s largest amphibian invasion fast approaches, it was, perhaps, perfect timing to have the opportunity to read and review this gem of a book. Interspersed with personal anecdotes from those who were there, complimented by some excellent photographs, maps and diagrams, and littered with incredible stories of bravery, D-Day is a fascinating insight into not only what happened on the day of the invasion but also the huge range of talent, ingenuity and downright genius that came into play as Operation Overlord was organised and kept secret from the occupying ... View Full Review
There is no nice way to kill an enemy soldier who is trying to kill you. Soldiers are our guardians, we expect them to go to the places we don’t want to go and do things we are untrained and afraid to do. We expect them to keep the bad guys at bay, away from our safe and peaceful lives. And we expect them to do all this with dignity, restraint and within the constraints of law. In May, 2004, together with a small group of lightly armed fellow soldiers from the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, Brian Wood ... View Full Review
More Dashing is the follow-up to Dashing for the Post: Selected Letters of Patrick Leigh Fermor published by Bloomsbury in 2016. With The Spectator portraying the first book (in what many hoped would be a series) as a veritable treasure trove, and Countrylife describing it as a distilled treat drawn from so much rich material, it should please Fermor fans no end to discover that Adam Sisman has again  taken the time to patiently select, edit, analyse and – where necessary – explain more from the vast array on entertaining and fascinating letters penned by Fermor to such a wide ... View Full Review
The name Kamal Ahmed wasn’t familiar to me when I was first introduced to this book. It should have been. In my defence, I would argue that, as I watch little television, I may be forgiven. The case against me, however, would certainly point out that since one of my favourite programmes is BBC News – where Kamal has, since 2016, regularly appeared in his role as Economics Editor – I really ought to have recognised him. Hopefully, I will be forgiven. Kamal Ahmed is a first generation descendent of a Sudanese immigrant father. I am third generation, through ... View Full Review
'When the person who loves the alcoholic declares their powerlessness, it is not about their own relationship with alcohol, nor necessarily about their own relationship with the alcoholic: it is about the alcoholic’s relationship with alcohol.' Robert Lockhart – piano virtuoso and former musical director of the National Theatre – met Louisa Young for the first time when they were both just 17. Their on-off relationship lasted for decades during which time Louisa also achieved great success with her Costa short-listed novel My Dear I wanted to Tell You and the sequels The Heroes’ Welcome and Devotion. ... View Full Review

LoveReading Top 10

  1. The Museum of Broken Promises
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  2. The Familiars
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  3. The Secrets We Kept
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  4. In the Absence of Miracles
    4
  5. Blood Song
    5
  6. A Single Thread
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  7. Postscript
    7
  8. Little Siberia
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  9. Rewind
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  10. Saving Missy
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