The bestselling author shares how he developed his celebrated sleuth, a Nottingham detective akin to Jim Rockford but dressed like Columbo.
In 1989, Lonely Hearts, a police procedural by John Harvey, introduced Det. Insp. Charlie Resnick to the world. The book was followed by a series and went on to be named one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Last Century by the Times. But how did the sandwich-loving policeman and jazz aficionado come to be?
In this quick read, acclaimed author John Harvey details how he first became a crime novelist and how his work in the heyday of 1970s British publishing would lay the groundwork for Resnick’s character. He breaks down almost every aspect of Charlie, from his name and ancestry to his personality and style. He even discusses the depiction of Nottingham as Charlie’s home and the home of the successful series in the many years to come.
Praise for the Charlie Resnick Mysteries
“[A] rich tapestry that lifts the police procedural into the realm of the mainstream novel.” —Sue Grafton, New York Times–bestselling author of the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet series
“Harvey reminds me of Graham Greene, a stylist who tells you everything you need to know while keeping the prose clean and simple. It’s a very realistic style that draws you into the story without the writer getting in the way.” —Elmore Leonard, New York Times–bestselling author of Get Shorty and Rum Punch
“Like Thelonious Monk and other jazz greats who make the mood music in his books, John Harvey likes to play with form. In Wasted Years . . . [Harvey] switches time frames like song keys to tell a story about the cold hopes and lost chances that breed crime in the red-brick provinces.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Harvey’s police procedurals are in a class by themselves—near Dickensian in their portrayal of human frailty, cinematic in their quick changes of scene and character, totally convincing in their plotting and motivation.” —Kirkus Reviews
