John Barber was born in London at the height of the UK Post War baby boom. The Education Act of 1944 saw great changes in the way the nation was taught; the main one being that all children stayed at school until the age of 15 (later increased to 16). For the first time working class children were able to reach higher levels of academic study and the opportunity to gain further educational qualifications at University.
This explosion in education brought forth a new aspirational middle class; others remained true to their working class roots. The author belongs somewhere between the two. Many of the author's main characters have their genesis in this educational revolution. Their dialogue though idiosyncratic can normally be understood but like all working class speech it is liberally sprinkled with strange boyhood phrases and a passing nod to cockney rhyming slang.
John Barber's novels are set in fictional English towns where sexual intrigue and political in-fighting is rife beneath a pleasant, small town veneer of respectability.
They fall within the cozy, traditional British detective sections of mystery fiction.
He has been writing professionally since 1996 when he began to contribute articles to magazines on social and local history. His first published book in 2002 was a non-fiction work entitled The Camden Town Murder which investigated a famous murder mystery of 1907 and names the killer. This is still available in softback and as an ebook, although not available from Smashwords
John Barber had careers in Advertising, International Banking and the Wine Industry before becoming Town Centre Manager in his home town of Hertford. He is now retired and lives with his wife and two cats on an island in the middle of Hertford and spends his time between local community projects and writing further novels.
dashboard
Serie
Inspector Winwood Mysteries
|
When the body of Bill Gibson is found on a piece of waste land beneath the bypass Detective Inspector Steve Winwood has no clues as to how or why as the victim lived over twenty miles away. He discovers from the rather eccentric antiquarian bookseller John Cherry that Gibson was a book illustrator.
Whilst Winwood and his Sergeant Archie Tibbs uncover more about Gibson's reclusive lifestyle others in town are reminded of a previous proposed housing development on this piece of waste land. The rebellious Councillor Bob Ball works with the local journalist Tony Meehan to see if there is another planning application about to emerge as he is wary of businessmen in suits wandering through the town on their mobiles and taking photos.
Tony has become attached to the local doctor, Rose Collins who has a history of protesting about local issues imposed by levels of local Councils. She tells Tony that she has been receiving strange gifts and believes that when a burglar entered her house and nothing taken they were looking to find ways to discredit her.
Trevor Cole Project Manager for Ferris Developments sees the body on waste land and the old planning application as a welcome distraction. He has been busy convincing Chrstine Grey, Leader of the Council and Stephanie van Dyk, Head of Planning to delay public knowledge of Ferris' real intention of building on green belt land on the other side of the bypass. Various schemes to connect the new build and the town centre are put forward but they all involve demolishing The Green Man, the favourite pub of Bob Ball. It also involves either a bridge over or a tunnel under the graveyard of St Josephs church. It is not a popular move with Christine Grey who does not want to fight an upcoming local election on such an issue
Tibble's investigations lead to the identity of the taxi driver that collected Bill Gibson and dumped his body. Unfortunately the driver Simon Ashe is found dead in his own limousine bound and gagged with a fatal blow to his head.
With one murder and possibly two the parallel enquiries being made by the police and concerned public figures are joined together by Winwood who investigates who is behind the burglary, bringing on Gibson's heart attack, dumping his body and causing the death of Ashe. This is on top of what becomes a case of corruption and blackmail of public figures and illegal pornographic websites.
Título : Colours of the Underground
EAN : 9781301027019
Editorial : John Barber
El libro electrónico Colours of the Underground está en formato ePub
¿Quieres leer en un eReader de otra marca? Sigue nuestra guía.
Puede que no esté disponible para la venta en tu país, sino sólo para la venta desde una cuenta en Francia.
Si la redirección no se produce automáticamente, haz clic en este enlace.
Conectarme
Mi cuenta