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Gunner

His War Isn't Over . . . It's Closer to Home

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About this listen

 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©2025 Alan Parks 20th Century Crime Thrillers Historical Historical Fiction Mystery Police Procedurals Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime

Critic reviews

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 (James Owen)
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)
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)
[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 (Alastair Mabbott)
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)
All stars
Most relevant
although I learned a lot, I am not sure I actually enjoyed the book or the characters. makes Glasgow seem a very tiny village of implausible coincidences and about 20 people all of which were accessible to Gunner ( very silly and obvious name). lots of pain and suffering!
I really enjoyed this author's other police series which makes this all the more disappointing.

I learned a lot about Glasgow in the war

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A wonderful narrative performance of an original character. The twists aren't always expected, and it will be fun to see where he goes next. Not suitable for those who don't like copious strong language

Hardboiled crime goes to war

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Absolutely loved this book. Great story. Great characters. Great narration. Ignore negative review. Buy it!!!

Excellent

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I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this as much as Alan Parks’ other books but a good story, well told with and interesting central character!

Great new character

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Pretty much kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through it

Good story well told

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