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Bradley Harper
Historical
Mystery
Thriller
Suspense
Has all the wild, untamed energy of a “what if?” historical fiction novel despite being brilliantly grounded in a real and visceral Victorian London – a Jack the Ripper romp with Arthur Conan Doyle
COL (ret) Bradley Harper is a retired US Army pathologist with real-life experience in forensic death investigation, and he uses that experience in his writing. His debut novel, A Knife in the Fog, involves a young Arthur Conan Doyle and suffragette author Margaret Harkness in the hunt for Jack the Ripper and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American. Dr. Harper has been published in the Strand Magazine and the Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, and the audiobook of his novel, narrated by former Royal Shakespeare Company actor Matthew Lloyd Davies, won Audiofile’s Earphone award for the category of Mystery and Suspense for 2018.
Read BookTrib’s review of A Knife in the Fog and Bradley’s latest, Queen’s Gambit.
For more information on Bradley, visit his website.
BOOKS
A Knife in the Fog (2018)
Queen’s Gambit (2020)
Biggest literary influences:
Arthur Conan Doyle, Laurie R. King and Matthew Pearl.
Last book read:
A Nero Wolfe mystery, Fer de Lance.
The book that changed your life:
The entire Holmes canon. I read it all in one enormous swallow the summer I turned 13, and it opened my eyes to the realm of mystery and suspense.
Your favorite literary character:
Doctor Watson. He is kind, courageous and honorable. He’s not stupid by any means, but admits his limitations.
Currently working on:
Theft of Honor, about stealing the Irish Crown Jewels in 1907.
Words to live by:
“Never give up, never surrender!” from Galaxy Quest.
Advice to new and aspiring authors:
See above!
Articles / Reviews
Testimonials
“Arthur Conan Doyle chasing after Jack the Ripper? Bradley Harper makes this irresistible pairing come alive. Ingenious in its premise and plotting, impressive in its unique forensic precision, infectious in its overflowing passion for the subject matter, A Knife in the Fog will be relished by fans of historical fiction, Sherlock Holmes and Ripper literature. A debut novel worth falling for.”
—Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Chamber
“[A] richly detailed, intense debut. … The intricately plotted story is worthy of Conan Doyle himself, with language and characters reminiscent of the Holmes canon and foreshadowing of the author’s future work. This compelling debut will have wide appeal, attracting readers of Jack the Ripper fiction, Sherlock Homes fans and anyone who appreciates real-life people as sleuths.”
—Library Journal (DEBUT OF THE MONTH, STARRED REVIEW)
“Like all great mystery novels, Bradley Harper’s take on the Ripper case delivers suspense, action and an utterly unexpected reveal. But Harper’s work stands apart, both for its nuanced, sympathetic portraits of the victims and for its informed medical and forensic detail — the latter gleaned from the author’s career as a pathologist. Harper has crafted a deftly paced, expertly plotted work that transcends genre and speaks to the heart of every reader, mystery buff or not.”
—Mary Roach, bestselling author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
