CROWNER JOHN IS COMING BACK!
See Other News page for details
THE AUTHOR.......Professor Bernard Knight CBE
Bernard Knight has been writing for over forty-eight years, his first novel being published in 1963. He is now the second longest-serving member of the Crime Writer's Association and was for a number of years one of their judges for the CWA Silver Dagger Award for non-fiction.
He has written crime novels, 'straight' historical novels, and many historical mysteries, as well as biography, medical and medico-legal textbooks, popular books on forensic medicine and on the history of medicine. In addition, he has written many radio and television drama and documentary scripts, as well as acting as technical advisor and presenter of several television series. He is a founding member of the 'Medieval Murderers' promotion group (see p.5) and for many years has regularly reviewed crime books for the Tangled Web site (www.twbooks.co.uk)
He has written crime novels, 'straight' historical novels, and many historical mysteries, as well as biography, medical and medico-legal textbooks, popular books on forensic medicine and on the history of medicine. In addition, he has written many radio and television drama and documentary scripts, as well as acting as technical advisor and presenter of several television series. He is a founding member of the 'Medieval Murderers' promotion group (see p.5) and for many years has regularly reviewed crime books for the Tangled Web site (www.twbooks.co.uk)
However, writing has not been his main profession, as he is both a doctor and a barrister. Starting life as a farm-worker, intending to take a degree in agriculture, he then became a hospital laboratory technician before gaining entry to medical school. Qualifying in Cardiff in 1954, he did a short spell as a hospital doctor and a family doctor in a Welsh mining valley, then entered the Royal Army Medical Corps as a regular medical officer, serving for three years in Malaya during the terrorist Emergency, mostly as the pathologist in a small military hospital in North Malaya which he likened to MASH!
On returning to civilian life, he became a forensic pathologist in the London Hospital, Whitechapel, as assistant to Dr Francis Camps, then became Senior Lecturer and Home Office Pathologist in Newcastle and Cardiff, being appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology in the University of Wales in 1980, retiring in 1996. He founded the Wales Institute of Forensic Medicine, of which he was the first Director and remained a Home Office Pathologist until 1998.
He has been President of the Forensic Science Society, the British Association in Forensic Medicine, Vice-President of the International Academy of Legal Medicine and a member of the General Medical Council. He has been involved in hundreds of homicide cases, for both prosecution and defence, including Fred and Rosemary West, Mary Bell, Vatican banker Roberto Calvi and Stephen Truscott (Canada).
Professor Knight was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1967 and was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993, for services to forensic medicine. He is married with a son Huw and lives in Cardiff, where he was born in 1931.
His qualifications are;-
MD, BCh, MRCP, FRCPath, DMJ(Path), FHKCPath, FFFMRCP, FRSM(Hon), MD(Hon), DM(Hon), DSc(Hon), PhD(Hon), LLD(Hon) and Barrister of Gray's Inn, London
On returning to civilian life, he became a forensic pathologist in the London Hospital, Whitechapel, as assistant to Dr Francis Camps, then became Senior Lecturer and Home Office Pathologist in Newcastle and Cardiff, being appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology in the University of Wales in 1980, retiring in 1996. He founded the Wales Institute of Forensic Medicine, of which he was the first Director and remained a Home Office Pathologist until 1998.
He has been President of the Forensic Science Society, the British Association in Forensic Medicine, Vice-President of the International Academy of Legal Medicine and a member of the General Medical Council. He has been involved in hundreds of homicide cases, for both prosecution and defence, including Fred and Rosemary West, Mary Bell, Vatican banker Roberto Calvi and Stephen Truscott (Canada).
Professor Knight was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1967 and was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993, for services to forensic medicine. He is married with a son Huw and lives in Cardiff, where he was born in 1931.
His qualifications are;-
MD, BCh, MRCP, FRCPath, DMJ(Path), FHKCPath, FFFMRCP, FRSM(Hon), MD(Hon), DM(Hon), DSc(Hon), PhD(Hon), LLD(Hon) and Barrister of Gray's Inn, London
E-mail; knight.j4@sky.com
'A Plague of Heretics'
'A Plague of Heretics'
THE LATEST IN THE CROWNER JOHN SERIES
Number Fourteen in the saga, was published in hardback
in April 2010 (ISBN 9781847372963), and in paperback
in August 2010 (ISBN 9781847393926)
in April 2010 (ISBN 9781847372963), and in paperback
in August 2010 (ISBN 9781847393926)
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THE NEW 'WYE VALLEY' SERIES
Launched in September 2010 with WHERE DEATH DELIGHTS, published by Severn House, the new series is also technically 'historical' as it is based in 1955.
Forensic pathologist Dr Richard Pryor uses his 'golden handshake' from Singapore to return to Wales to set up in private practice with former Home Office scientist Angela Bray.Their risky venture in the Wye Valley depends on getting enough casework to survive. A friendly coroner gives them a start and when two women both claim that human remains found near a local reservoir are their relatives, the dilemma is given to them to investigate. Further cases come their way and the story, based partly on the author's own past experience, carries the stamp of authenticity, as well as capturing the atmosphere of the fifties, when Britain was recovering from the effects of the Second World War.
"Absorbing....A couple of great plot twists at the end will leave readers eager for a sequel" ----------Publishers Weekly
"Paints a realistic picture of all the job involves - quietly entertaining"--Kirkus USA
"Fans of CSI and forensic mysteries will enjoy this series debut"--Library Journal
"Engaging cast of characters and intriguing forensic details"------Booklist
The sequel ACCORDING TO THE EVIDENCE was published in December 2010
The third GROUNDS FOR APPEAL will appear in October 2011
Severn House Publishers, Surrey, England SM1 1DF
Hardback ISBN 9780727868749
Paperback ISBN 9781847512222
THE 'MEDIEVAL MURDERERS'
A
few years ago, several of us historical mystery writers, all members of
the Crime Writers' Association, decided to band together to
self-promote our books. We were 'midlist authors', (at least we were
until Chris Sansom joined us!) and publishers tend not to spend much
promotion money on any but the big names, so we decided to push
ourselves by giving talks at literary festivals, libraries and
bookshops. The first four were Susannah Gregory, Ian Morson, Michael
Jecks and myself, soon joined by Philip Gooden and later by C J Sansom
and recently, Karen Maitland.
We
have had a good run of bookings over the past six or seven years,
either as the whole group or often with two or three of us together,
giving fairly light-hearted, 'chatty' presentations about why we write,
how we write and the particular problems of historical crime fiction.
We avoid giving 'readings' like the plague, as we think this is usually
deadly dull and of little relevance out of context of the whole book.
After
a couple of years of this, we had the brainwave (we thought) of writing
a book between us - not a series of seperate short stories, but a
'chain story' in which we follow a common theme and plot, each using
our characters from our series - in my case, Crowner John.
The first was The Tainted Relic,
where Susannah wrote a prologue about a chip of the True Cross stolen
from Jerusalem at the First Crusade and cursed by its slain keeper.
Then each of us wrote a 20-25 thousand word story about an incident
involving our own characters in which the curse was manifest - then
handed it on chronologically to the next writer for his/her episode. At
the end, I tied it up with an Epilogue.
It
was taken by Simon and Schuster, the Crowner John publishers, and was
such a success that we have now just published the seventh such book for S&S
for 201i.
A number have been taken for Audio by Clipper and are in hardback and paperback versions.
The books are (hardback ISBNs);
THE TAINTED RELIC..................... ISBN 07432 67958
THE SWORD OF SHAME................ ISBN 978 14165 21907
THE HOUSE OF SHADOWS............ ISBN 9780 7432 95468
THE LOST PROPHECIES ................ ISBN 9781 84737 0938
KING ARTHUR'S BONES................ ISBN 9781 84737 3458
THE SACRED STONE...................... ISBN 9781 84737 6763
THE HILL OF BONES........................ISBN 9780 85720 4257
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THE SACRED STONE...................... ISBN 9781 84737 6763
THE HILL OF BONES........................ISBN 9780 85720 4257
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