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Matt Johnson - Editorial Expert

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 short-listed for the CWA John Creasey Dagger in 2016 and, in 2019, he was listed at No. 22 in the W H Smith reader's list of best-ever crime writers. He is co-chair of Crime Cymru, the welsh crime writers collective and co-chair of Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival, Wales' first international crime writing festival.

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

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

Matt is represented by James Wills at Watson-Little Literary Agents in London. Twitter @Matt_Johnson_UK.

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Latest Features By Matt Johnson

From the Front Line to the Officer's Mess -20 of the Best Military Memoirs

Tales from the Thin Blue Line - 20 of the Best Policing Memoirs

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Latest Reviews By Matt Johnson

FDR (Franklin D Roosevelt) Drive is a highway that runs along the east side of Manhattan in New York City. It serves as a major transportation artery for New York City, offering motorists excellent views of the East River. It’s also an excellent title and a perfect location for James Comey’s latest thriller. FDR Drive draws, once again, on Comey’s extensive legal and law enforcement background, enabling his to craft a compelling narrative that blends sharp procedural detail with human vulnerability and a moral complexity that is as relevant to the UK as it ... View Full Review

Hubris: The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century is a deeply analytical and thought-provoking exploration of how naive self-belief, coupled at times with sheer arrogance, has shaped military and political decision-making in the last century. The author is a renowned historian with a keen eye for ideological and strategic nuance who traces a consistent thread of hubris - excessive pride or self-confidence - from the First World War through to the Cold War, highlighting how leaders on all sides succumbed to self-deception, misjudged their adversaries, and overestimated their personal capabilities. What makes Hubris stand out is the author’... View Full Review

In Eagle Days, aviation historian Dr. Victoria Taylor offers a compelling re-examination of the Luftwaffe’s role during the Battle of Britain, shifting the narrative from the traditional British perspective to a nuanced exploration of the German airmen's experiences. Drawing from an array of primary sources – including personal letters, diaries, combat reports, and contemporary German newspapers – Taylor reconstructs and reveals the mindset, morale, and operational challenges faced by the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940. From the moment I turned the first page of this lovely book, I realised I was in for a treat. Taylor's meticulous research ... View Full Review

In this fascinating read, former bank-robber Lee Wenham recounts his upbringing a part of a notorious Gypsy family, where crime was a way of life. The narrative is candid and often darkly humorous, detailing his early forays into crime, the disasters and cost, and eventually how this led to the meticulous planning of the Dome raid. The heist itself, involving a JCB digger, nail guns, and a speedboat getaway, reads like a Hollywood script, yet it's all, mostly, true. The book doesn't shy away from the consequences, chronicling the police sting operation that led to Wenham's arrest and subsequent imprisonment. ... View Full Review

A chilling tale of human trafficking, forced labour and the corruption that perpetuates this heinous criminal activity, Before the Night Comes exposes the brutal realities surrounding Brazil’s so-called ‘Exploitation Highway’. Meticulous research and first-hand experience work to create a narrative that is as disturbing as it is enlightening. ‘Exploitation highway’ is a metaphor for a trade in human misery where poverty, social injustice and corruption combine to allow opportunity for criminals, deviants and the corrupt to exploit men, women and children - their fellow human beings - for financial gain. On holiday with a ... View Full Review

Former Special Forces soldiers who decide to publish an account of their careers face a number of hurdles; from operational security through the bureaucracy of Ministry of Defence vetting and, eventually, once published, by exposure to armchair critics and, occasionally, the more valid assessment of their peers. None have come through those challenging steps with as much credibility intact as Duncan Falconer. Falconer is the real deal, no question. If you’ve ever wondered what such people did before making reality TV programmes, here is your answer. After retiring from the services, one phone call changed Falconer’s ... View Full Review

Westport is a sequel to the author’s debut book, Central Park West, and sees the return of US attorney Nora Carleton. Having departed the US Attorney’s office, Carleton has moved to Connecticut as lead counsel to a hedge fund. When Carleton's boss is found dead, it becomes clear someone is trying to frame her for the murder. With local police convinced of her guilt, she finds herself in a race to secure evidence this is not the case before it’s too late. As a writer, Comey’s style is not unlike that of ... View Full Review

What began as three friends wanting to end the decades-long civil war in a far-away country is now an award-winning organisation, Global Witness, dedicated to rooting out worldwide corruption. Patrick Alley and his colleagues shine a light into dark places. They go where angels fear to tread and ask questions others are afraid to ask. They move within the dark underbelly of the super powerful, the wealthy yet wicked people prepared to exploit anything and everyone for their own benefit. They risk all, funds, reputations and life itself to bring the truth to the eyes of the public. What we ... View Full Review

As author Garret M. Graff correctly highlights in his introduction to this excellent work, D-Day is an oft-used American expression for the opening day of any major operation or invasion. There have been many D-Days, from Sicily to Panama, from Okinawa to Grenada. History, however, favours one in particular, 6th June 1944 at the launch of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. The public interest in reading about significant events from modern history when told in the words and from the recollections of those who were there has been demonstrated through similar works about the 9/11 attacks and the Falkland ... View Full Review

If the numbers of television programmes and the huge crowds seen at CrimeCon are anything to go by, True Crime may well be overtaking crime fiction in terms of popularity. Jo Ward is a familiar name to fans of the genre, mostly as a result of her work being followed by camera teams creating the BBC series ‘Forensics, the Real CSI’. Every Contact Leaves a Trace is an autobiographical account of Jo Ward’s life and career describing how she became a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) and providing an insight into her work and how it assists ... View Full Review

Reviews of Jen Stout’s incredibly well-written account of her experience covering the first months of the war in Ukraine have described it as evocative, compassionate and extraordinary and, within the first few pages of this book I too was struck by the high quality of writing, the skilled use of language to paint a scene and the empathetic style as the author introduces the reader to the realities of armed conflict and its effect on ordinary people. From the homes of those people, from the battlefield, from hospitals, underground shelters, and in cars and on trains, Stout transports ... View Full Review

Error of Judgement The Birmingham Bombings and the Scandal That Shook Britain

On 21st November 1974, bombs went off in the Mulberry Bush and The Tavern in the Town, two pubs in the centre of Birmingham, killing 21 people and injuring 182. The attacks were the worst of many atrocities in England during a sustained campaign by the IRA. If you are under fifty, you may well be unfamiliar with the tale of six men from Birmingham and how their wrongful conviction for these bombings would eventually send shudders through the UK legal establishment. You may recall seeing television footage in 1991 of a group of men walking from the Old Bailey in London. You may ... View Full Review