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David Stuart Davies
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Forests of the Night (A Johnny Hawke Thriller Book 1) Kindle Edition

by David Stuart Davies (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 658 ratings
1940. London is at war.

When World War II breaks out, the young policeman John Hawke enlists in the army.

His dreams of fighting for his country, however, are cut short after he loses an eye in rifle training.

Invalided out of the army and offered a desk job with the police, John sets up as a private investigator in London instead, hoping for excitement and danger.

In the autumn of 1940, John is hired to investigate the mysterious death of a young woman.

What is the connection between her brutal murder and the fading film actor Gordon Moore?

And is there a connection to the runaway boy who may have witnessed something terrible.

Told with wit and humour, while evoking an atmospheric picture of the home front during the dark days of the Second World War, ‘Forests of the Night’ is page-turning novel rich in period detail.

“Sherlock Holmes expert Davies effectively captures London of a later era in this taut page-turner” – Kirkus

“Johnny Hawke is a keeper” – Booklist

David Stuart Davies is a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies has written extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction.[1] He is the editor of Red Herrings, the monthly in-house publication of the Crime Writers' Association.
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  1. Book 1 of 7
    Johnny Hawke Thrillers
  2. Print length
    223 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    February 26, 2015
  6. File size
    909 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Noted Sherlock Holmes expert Davies (Veiled Detective) launches a new series with this competent, if unspectacular whodunit set in WWII London and featuring Johnny Hawke, who has just started a new career as a PI after a misfiring gun cost him his left eye and a career in the army. His caseload is fairly run-of-the-mill until Eric and Freda Palfrey enlist him to trace their missing 27-year-old daughter, Pamela. Hawke soon finds that the plain, middle-class girl had been living a double life, and that her secret role as a high-class prostitute has led to her death, probably at the hands of one of her clients, one of whom is a prominent film star. With its decent atmospherics, this novel compares favorably to John Gardner's WWII Suzie Mountford series (Troubled Midnight, etc.), but Davies's workmanlike prose doesn't match that of Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge series or Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs mysteries. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Sherlock Holmes expert Davies moves from nonfiction to fiction with this series debut set in wartime England. Johnny Hawke, who lost an eye when his rifle misfired in a training accident, nurses feelings of inadequacy as German bombs rain on London. Attempting to eke out a living as a private detective, he falls into a juicy murder case when the parents of a young woman hire him to find their daughter. It's quickly apparent that the young woman was living two very different lives, and when she turns up dead, Hawke continues to dig into her past, despite his clients' objections. Wartime London makes a great setting for crime fiction, and Davies uses it shrewdly, not so much as an excuse to decorate the action with scenes of Blitz-torn London, though there are some of those, but, rather, as a kind of psychological landscape. We feel the war through the characters' dampened emotions and anguished expressions of both guilt and frustration. The mystery itself ends weakly, and a subplot about a homeless boy drifts toward sentimentality, but Johnny Hawke is still a keeper. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00U2F39P6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lume Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 26, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 909 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 223 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 7 ‏ : ‎ Johnny Hawke Thrillers
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 658 ratings

About the author

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David Stuart Davies

David Stuart Davies

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David Stuart Davies is the author of eight Sherlock Holmes novels and Starring Sherlock Holmes, which details the detective’s film career. David’s two successful one-man plays, Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act and Sherlock Holmes: The Life & Death are available on audio CD via Big Finish. His new play, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Reckoning, premiered in Edinburgh in 2019. David is the author of six Johnny Hawke novels and the Paul Snow trilogy. His latest novels are Blood Rites and Oliver Twist & The Mystery of Throate Manor. His story ‘The Monkton House Mystery’ features in Titan’s new Sherlock Holmes anthology, The Sign of Seven. He is a Baker Street Irregular, a member of the Detection Club, a past Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and edits Red Herrings, the monthly magazine of the Crime Writers’ Association.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
658 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's plot engaging, with one review noting it's substantial without being leaden. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its readability, with one customer highlighting its good pacing. Additionally, customers appreciate the well-developed characters.

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PlotReadabilityCharacter development
9 customers mention "Plot"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a delightful tale that is substantial without being leaden, with one customer noting its madcap mayhem and another mentioning the protagonist's unexpected genius in pursuing investigative challenges.

"...Th book was entertaining and although a serious tale had an upbeat that was amusing." Read more

"...but the characters were intriguing & Johnny Hawke is a plausible private investigator...." Read more

"...The characters are three-dimensional and the twisty plot is never contrived. Quite an enjoyable read...." Read more

"...An enigma for a great holiday read." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and worth their time, with one customer noting its good pacing.

"...Better than average, I didn't pick the correct character for the villain. But it made sense. No brainwork to read but a delightful tale." Read more

"...Quite an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading book 2 in the Johnny Hawke series." Read more

"...It is a quick read and worth the time." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book. Finding a new author is always exciting and when you get a book as hood as this one it makes my day...." Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book.

"...in some ways, a very typical WWII era tale in London but the characters were intriguing & Johnny Hawke is a plausible private investigator...." Read more

"...The characters are three-dimensional and the twisty plot is never contrived. Quite an enjoyable read...." Read more

"Johnny Hawke is an interesting character who pursues his investigative challenges with unexpected genious...." Read more

"The lead was a curmudgeonly charmer. The pacing was good. The characters were well drawn. Satisfying ending. Worth the time." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Ima Critic
    5.0 out of 5 stars Like Old Time Radio Detective Programs
    Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I like listening on Sirius to Radio Classic's detective genre and this book was the written version of that. The voice of Johnny was just like that and I could easily picture the time, the place, and the experiences of the people living through the war in England. Th book was entertaining and although a serious tale had an upbeat that was amusing.
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  • Susan Price-LaSalla
    4.0 out of 5 stars Charming!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I truly enjoyed the madcap mayhem I found in this book. It is, in some ways, a very typical WWII era tale in London but the characters were intriguing & Johnny Hawke is a plausible private investigator.

    Better than average, I didn't pick the correct character for the villain. But it made sense.
    No brainwork to read but a delightful tale.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Maggy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twisty and satisfying
    Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    In this genre, Forests of the Night stands out for its intelligent and witty writing. The characters are three-dimensional and the twisty plot is never contrived. Quite an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading book 2 in the Johnny Hawke series.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Riveting Who Dunnit?
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    A run away child, 2 very strict religious parets, a daughter in revolution mode and a 1 eyed P. I. all make for a page turning drama during the blitz in London. An enigma for a great holiday read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Robert Specking
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book moved quickly and took me to WWII London with much atmosphere. It is a quick read and worth the time.
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  • momanddad
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book. Finding a new author is always exciting and when you get a book as hood as this one it makes my day. I'll read more you can be sure.
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  • Maggie Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intruiging Story
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Johnny Hawke is an interesting character who pursues his investigative challenges with unexpected genious. Through many twists and turns of the case, each a surprise, he nails the unexpected culprit.
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  • Roslynj
    5.0 out of 5 stars good storyt
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    A heartfelt tale not too much suspense just about right for me.
    I would recommend it to my niece if it’s on audible.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
    Reviewed in Australia on July 4, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Easy reading without being without substance. We'll structured plot with enough twists an turns to make it interesting but not so many to make it unbelievable
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  • Mik
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great WW2 Thriller with humour
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I loved the historical context and how all the details and also the language matches the times during which Johnny lived. So many historical novelists get this wrong! There are in fact three stories entetwining themselves but the narrative is flawless. I liked Johnny's humour and his candidness; a very likeable character and a very able detective! Can't wait to read the next one.
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  • Vesper
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable mystery
    Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    1940 and for Johnny Hawke for war is already over. The ex-policeman and invalid decides to become a private detective. Life is not going well until the Palfreys approach him to find their missing daughter.
    But the case leads to murder. His life becomes complicated when he gets involved with the runaway Peter.
    An enjoyable and interesting well-written read. A good solid start to this series.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A true murder/mystery
    Reviewed in Australia on April 25, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Johnny Hawke, private detective, is engaged to find a missing daughter, but this turns out to be a truly unusual case. Johnny Hawke, a former London police constable was also a casualty of war after a faulty rifle exploded leaving him without one of his eyes. Unable to continue in the army and not physically able to rejoin the police, he becomes a private detective. A couple of parents of a missing daughter engage him to find her and try and bring her back. What happens is unbelievably complex and turns in to a very bizarre murder/mystery.
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  • Rowena Hoseason
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable WW2 investigation
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This murder investigation is set in the bomb-strewn streets of London 1940 and introduces an interestingly damaged detective. Johnny Hawke, ex-policeman, who joined up early to fight in the war but almost immediately was invalided out. He can’t return to the force, nor can he fight for his country. Emotionally and physically compromised, a man without an obvious future in a country which might not survive intact, he utilises his skills and experience as a private detective.

    Author David Stuart Davies has invented a likeable protagonist, someone obviously flawed but a man of grit and character – and also someone with a gently self-deprecatory attitude and a drily witty turn of phrase. The opening chapters are littered with snappy throwaway observations, as befits a gumshoe PI who enjoys an afternoon at the flicks.
    The investigation in this novel is pretty straightforward. There’s a murdered young woman whose distraught parents can’t believe that she led a parallel life as a good time girl. The obvious suspect, her pimp, plainly didn’t do the evil deed but the flat-foot police detectives are happy to see him swing if it closes the case for them quickly. Hawke is conveniently given a list of her regular customers – very definitely the usual suspects! – and we join him on a series of interviews involving her boss, an aging film star and a young runaway who may have witnessed a vital scene. No one is telling all the truth: not the dead girl’s best friend, nor the street urchin with whom Hawke (himself an orphan) identifies. There’s more than enough going on to neatly obfuscate the answer but if you like solving a mystery yourself then you should be able to piece the puzzle together before the big reveal…
    Perhaps more enjoyable than the central plot is the entertaining interpretation of London in the early years of the war. Clubs are still swinging in muted fashion; rationing and shortages create increasingly grey and unappetising meals at Hawke’s regular café; society can barely struggle along as normal never mind take care of waifs, strays and badly-treated woman, or chase down deserters and black marketeers.

    Forests Of The Night (strange title which doesn’t really capture the essence of the book) is an easily accessible read. Nothing wildly challenging, and it lacks the razor-edge tension of Alan Furst or the bitter acerbic wit of Bernie Gunther. But a thoroughly enjoyable read nonetheless, and I’ll definitely look out for the next Johnny Hawke investigation.
    7/10
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