Body and Soul

The 79-year-old Harvey has made it clear that Body & Soul is his last novel, and what an excellent farewell it is …. Elder and Resnick are both greats of British crime fiction. * The Times, Book of the Month *
An expertly plotted and moving final act for an old-school investigator of the best sort, from a true master of the genre * Guardian Books of the Month *
Few writers have even approached Harvey’s grasp of atmosphere which, mingled with some sharpish social comment and utterly believable characters, makes them a must read * Crime Review *
A masterpiece from a master of the genre * Mark Billingham *
Body and Soul is a clever thriller … that will leave you stunned and staring at the page in disbelief. * Evening Standard *
This is wonderfully atmospheric crime writing – a tribute to Harvey’s exceptional talent. * Daily Mail *
John Harvey is one of the all-time greats and remains one of my favourite writers. * Ian Rankin *
The story builds brilliantly as one would expect from John Harvey, but concludes in a way which is totally unexpected. It will be interesting to see if John will now generate a new vehicle for any further ventures in crime fiction. Some possibilities surface among the new characters introduced in Body and Soul. I very much hope so. While I am prepared to let John Harvey dispense with his main characters I am not prepared to see him disappear from crime fiction bookshelves. * Shots *
Harvey is very good at the small nuances of people’s everyday behaviour; alongside the tension of suspense comes the equally compelling tension of their lives. Body and Soul indeed; just listen to the song. * Michael Carlson, Irresistible Targets *
Sadly, this is Harvey’s last book after a 40-year crime writing masterclass. * Peterborough Telegraph *

John Harvey was born in London, where he now lives, while considering Nottingham his spiritual home. Initially a teacher of English & Drama, he has been a full-time writer for more than forty years. The first of his 12 volume Charlie Resnick series, Lonely Hearts was selected by The Times as one of the ‘100 Best Crime Novels of the Century’ and the first Frank Elder novel, Flesh & Blood, won the CWA Silver Dagger in 2004. He was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence in the crime genre in 2007, and his story, ‘Fedora’ won the CWA Short Story Dagger in 2014.

In addition to writing fiction, he has written and published poetry, running Slow Dancer Press for over twenty years; his New & Selected Poems, Out of Silence was published in 2014. He has adapted the work of Arnold Bennett, A. S. Byatt, Graham Greene and others for radio and television, and in 2017, his dramatisation of the final Resnick novel, Darkness, Darkness, was produced at Nottingham Playhouse. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by the universities of Hertfordshire and Nottingham.

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