John Harvey

John Harvey is a renowned British author, best known for his crime fiction novels. He is the creator of the Charlie Resnick series, which are influenced by jazz and are set in the City of Nottingham. In addition to the Resnick series, Harvey has written over 90 books under various pseudonyms, including Jon Barton, William S. Brady, L.J. Coburn, J.B. Dancer, John B. Harvey, William M. James, Terry Lennox, John J. McLaglen, James Mann, Thom Ryder, J.D. Sandon, and Jon Hart.

Born in Tufnell Park, North London in December 1938, Harvey's father used to take him to a bookshop in Kentish Town to buy copies of Biggles. At the age of five, he developed a liking for Alison Uttley's Rabbit books. He moved to the peaceful town of Nottingham in the 1960s. Harvey has a strong connection with Nottingham, having set his famous Charlie Resnick series in the city. His contributions to the city's literary scene were recognized in 2009 when he received an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Nottingham. Before turning to writing full-time, Harvey taught English for over 12 years in several colleges across the country. He ran Slow Dancer Press from 1977 to 1999, publishing poetry.

Harvey's writing career began almost by accident when he started producing westerns and novels for motorcycles and juveniles. He has also written for television and radio, adapting classic series as well as popular ones. His first Resnick novel, Lonely Hearts, was published in 1989 and was included in The Times' list of the 100 Greatest Crime Novels of the Century. He brought the series to an end in 1998 with Last Rites, though Resnick has since made peripheral appearances in Harvey's new Frank Elder series. The protagonist Elder is a retired detective who now lives in Cornwall. The first novel in this series, Flesh and Blood, won Harvey the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2004. In 2007, he was awarded the Diamond Dagger for a Lifetime's Contribution to the genre. Harvey is also a big Notts County fan.