Gunner
His War Isn't Over . . . It's Closer to Home
Published on 17. July 2025
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-3998-1966-4 (ISBN)
Description
A brand new crime series from the award-winning author of the Harry McCoy books
'A notably original protagonist . . . swept up in a high-level conspiracy reaching from Whitehall's corridors of power to Berlin and Rudolf Hess's doomed flight to Scotland . . . enthralling' Financial Times
'Great storytelling . . . I loved it' Peter James, #1 bestselling author of the Roy Grace series
March 1941. Joseph Gunner is back on the streets of Glasgow after being wounded on the front lines in France.
Keeping the pain in his leg at bay with the help of morphine, Gunner, a former detective, is hoping to lie low as the Luftwaffe begins bombing Glasgow.
But when he runs into his old boss Drummond, he is persuaded to help examine a body found in the wreckage. When it turns out to be that of a German, mutilated to disguise his identity, Gunner reluctantly agrees to investigate.
As he begins to hunt for the truth Gunner runs into old flames and bitter enemies, before finding himself embroiled in a high-level conspiracy that reaches far beyond his hometown of Glasgow.
Partly inspired by the true story of Rudolf Hess's secret mission to broker appeasement with Britain during the Second World War, Gunner is an atmospheric and addictive new thriller from one of Britain's best-loved writers.
'Great stuff . . . a vivid sense of place and time and what a main character!' Ian Rankin, #1 bestselling author of the Rebus series
'Perfectly captures the chaos, danger and moral mess of a world turned upside down by conflict' Guardian
'A notably original protagonist . . . swept up in a high-level conspiracy reaching from Whitehall's corridors of power to Berlin and Rudolf Hess's doomed flight to Scotland . . . enthralling' Financial Times
'Great storytelling . . . I loved it' Peter James, #1 bestselling author of the Roy Grace series
March 1941. Joseph Gunner is back on the streets of Glasgow after being wounded on the front lines in France.
Keeping the pain in his leg at bay with the help of morphine, Gunner, a former detective, is hoping to lie low as the Luftwaffe begins bombing Glasgow.
But when he runs into his old boss Drummond, he is persuaded to help examine a body found in the wreckage. When it turns out to be that of a German, mutilated to disguise his identity, Gunner reluctantly agrees to investigate.
As he begins to hunt for the truth Gunner runs into old flames and bitter enemies, before finding himself embroiled in a high-level conspiracy that reaches far beyond his hometown of Glasgow.
Partly inspired by the true story of Rudolf Hess's secret mission to broker appeasement with Britain during the Second World War, Gunner is an atmospheric and addictive new thriller from one of Britain's best-loved writers.
'Great stuff . . . a vivid sense of place and time and what a main character!' Ian Rankin, #1 bestselling author of the Rebus series
'Perfectly captures the chaos, danger and moral mess of a world turned upside down by conflict' Guardian
Reviews / Votes
A notably original protagonist . . . swept up in a high-level conspiracy reaching from Whitehall's corridors of power to Berlin and Rudolf Hess's doomed flight to Scotland . . . enthralling * Financial Times * A braw start to a new series -- James Owen * The Times * The similarities with Parks's 1970s-set Harry McCoy series will certainly please existing fans, but this well-researched historical thriller, which perfectly captures the chaos, danger and moral mess of a world turned upside down by conflict, is sure to attract new ones too. -- Laura Wilson * Guardian * Parks's characters jump out at you and the story fizzes with history and colour. A brilliant thriller to kick off a new series -- Bill Todd * Sun * [A] compelling story . . . you have the ingredients of a striking drama that is destined for a series and, possibly, for television - Foyle's War, but with a sharper, darker edge * Scottish Daily Mail * An auspicious debut for Parks' new detective, and drenched in a murky, quite enthralling atmosphere of paranoia in which nothing can be taken at face value -- Alastair Mabbott * Scottish Herald * Great storytelling, and a gripping insight into war-torn Glasgow - I loved it -- Peter James, #1 bestselling author of the Roy Grace series Great stuff . . . a vivid sense of place and time and what a main character! -- Ian Rankin, #1 bestselling author of the Rebus series A superb thriller with a gripping, constantly surprising plot, vividly realised characters and brutally authentic descriptions of both Glasgow's Blitz and the bleak realities of war on the Home Front. Parks's new series is one to watch -- Andrew Taylor, author of THE SHADOWS OF LONDON A brilliant milieu, fantastic characters, an exciting story - in other words another typically great Alan Parks novel -- Adrian McKinty, author of Sunday Times bestseller, THE CHAIN What a fantastic start to a new series and I cannot wait to find out what Gunner does next. It's meticulously researched, but with a beautiful light touch that transports you to the streets of war-torn Glasgow and the lives of everyday folk doing their best to survive. A gritty, immersive, genuine page-turner. And what a compelling hero we have in Gunner: hardbitten, battle-scarred and far from perfect, but striving to do the right thing in a world riddled with corruption and deceit -- Bridget Walsh, author of the Variety Palace Mysteries A fabulous read. I loved every minute of it. Alan's storytelling pulls the reader in from page one. Wonderful, gutsy writing. Gunner is a tremendous character, as tough as a Glaswegian shipyard hammer -- David Gilman, author of the Master of War series Alan Parks's Gunner brings World War noir to the mean streets of Glasgow, setting a jaundiced eye onto a slice of history rarely explored in crime fiction. A lean, mean and ruthlessly readable thriller -- Vaseem Khan, author of CITY OF DESTRUCTION Parks has garnered a reputation for authentic, lived-in worlds, populated by flawed but compelling characters . . . The story has a fantastic ability to turn left just when the reader thinks things are going right . . . This is a living, breathing, loveable but punishing Second World War mystery and we can't wait to see where it goes next -- Simon Ward, Publishing Director Ian Fleming Publications The horrors of war on the front and at home are vividly brought to life with chilling description and visceral imagery . . . Partly connected to real-life events such as Rudolf Hess`s secret mission to discuss appeasement, this is exciting and powerful from the beginning. A brand-new crime series which deserves to gain many fans, and I`m already looking forward to the next instalment * Historical Novel Society *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Murray Press
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
N/A
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
486 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3998-1966-4 (9781399819664)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Alan Parks is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of the Harry McCoy series, which has won the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year, the Prix Mystere de la Critique award and an Edgar Award. Gunner is the first in a new and thrilling international crime series set during the Second World War featuring Joseph Gunner. Alan worked in the music industry for over twenty years before turning to writing. He now lives and works in Glasgow.