Gunner
The Joseph Gunner Thrillers (Book 1)
- Author Alan Parks
- Narrator Alex C Stewart
- Publisher John Murray Press
- Publish Date 17 July 2025
- Run Time 7 hours and 47 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Crime and mystery fiction, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Espionage and spy thriller, Historical crime and mysteries, Historical fiction, Second World War fiction.
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What to expect
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
Critics Review
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
A braw start to a new series
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.
Parks's characters jump out at you and the story fizzes with history and colour. A brilliant thriller to kick off a new series
[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
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
Great storytelling, and a gripping insight into war-torn Glasgow - I loved it
Great stuff . . . a vivid sense of place and time and what a main character!
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
A brilliant milieu, fantastic characters, an exciting story - in other words another typically great Alan Parks novel
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
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
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
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
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
This utterly mesmerizing, taut, gritty thriller is set in Glasgow during WWII . . . This is a powerful, dark, keep-'em-guessing series starter that shows the utter horrors of war, the lengths to which powerful people will go to maintain their influence, and the meaning of love, loyalty, good, and evil
In lean, pared-down language, Parks unfolds a compelling tale and Gunner proves an intriguing antihero
| Author | Alan Parks |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Alex C Stewart |
| Series | The Joseph Gunner Thrillers |
| Duration | 7 hours and 47 minutes |
| Release Date | |
| ISBN | 9781399819701 |
| Format | Audiobook |
| Publisher | John Murray Press |
| Genre | Crime and mystery fiction, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Espionage and spy thriller, Historical crime and mysteries, Historical fiction, Second World War fiction |
| Availability | AU, GB, IE |
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