Background
William Brodrick was born on January 31, 1960, in Bolton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. Aged ten the family moved first to Australia and then Canada.
23 Kensington Square, Kensington, London W8 5HN, United Kingdom
William Brodrick obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in the subjects of theology and philosophy at Heythrop College.
2012
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
William Brodrick, former Augustinian monk, now the author of 'The Day of The Lie', appears at a photocall prior to participating in the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2012 on August 22, 2012, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert
2012
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
British writer and former Augustinian monk William Brodrick, pictured at the Edinburgh International Book Festival where he talked about his latest book entitled 'The Day of the Lie'. Photo by Colin McPherson
2012
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
British writer and former Augustinian monk William Brodrick, pictured at the Edinburgh International Book Festival where he talked about his latest book entitled 'The Day of the Lie'. Photo by Colin McPherson
2012
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
William Brodrick, former Augustinian monk, now the author of 'The Day of The Lie', appears at a photocall prior to participating in the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2012 on August 22, 2012, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert
2012
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
British writer and former Augustinian monk William Brodrick, pictured at the Edinburgh International Book Festival where he talked about his latest book entitled 'The Day of the Lie'. Photo by Colin McPherson
2012
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
British writer and former Augustinian monk William Brodrick, pictured at the Edinburgh International Book Festival where he talked about his latest book entitled 'The Day of the Lie'. Photo by Colin McPherson
23 Kensington Square, Kensington, London W8 5HN, United Kingdom
William Brodrick obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in the subjects of theology and philosophy at Heythrop College.
(Larkwood Priory, Suffolk, 1995: Following his afternoon c...)
Larkwood Priory, Suffolk, 1995: Following his afternoon confessions, Father Anselm is stopped by an old man. What, he is asked, should a man do when the world has turned against him? Anselm’s response - claim sanctuary - is to have greater resonance than he could ever have imagined, for the man returns demanding the protection of the Church. He is Eduard Schwermann, a suspected Nazi war criminal. Meanwhile, with her life running out, Agnes Aubret unburdens a secret to her granddaughter Lucy. Fifty years earlier Agnes lived in occupied Paris and risked her life to smuggle Jewish children to safety until her group was exposed by an SS officer: Eduard Schwermann. As Father Anselm struggles to discover the truth about Schwermann’s history and Lucy delves ever deeper into her grandmother’s past, their investigations dovetail to reveal a remarkable story, in which two seemingly unconnected lives shockingly converge. William Brodrick is a master of crisp historical re-creation, precision plotting, and morally complex characterization.
https://www.amazon.com/6th-Lamentation-William-Brodrick/dp/0670031917/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Sixth+Lamentation&qid=1611044603&s=books&sr=1-1
1999
(Investigating the death of an attorney whose demise has b...)
Investigating the death of an attorney whose demise has been marked by bizarre puzzles, barrister detective Father Anselm discovers a link between the dead woman and his own choices in a difficult case that he won two years earlier. By the author of The 6th Lamentation.
https://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Dead-William-Brodrick/dp/0670034983/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=The+Gardens+of+the+Dead&qid=1611045160&s=books&sr=1-2
2006
(The Golden Dagger Award-winning installment of the Father...)
The Golden Dagger Award-winning installment of the Father Anselm thrillers, praised by Jeffery Deaver as "reminiscent of the early works of John le Carré," A Whispered Name reaches into the mysteries of one man's past and casts light on the long shadows war leaves behind. In the Larkwood Priory, secrets are rare. So Father Anselm is deeply dismayed by an allegation against Herbert Moore, one of the founding fathers of the Priory and the man who shaped his own vocation. The claim is inconceivable, but Anselm soon learns that Herbert did indeed have secrets in his past that he kept hidden all his life.While investigating the accusation, Father Anselm discovers the horrors of a long-buried secret of war involving the young Captain Moore. A novel of moral complexity, superb characterization, and, above all, profound humanity, A Whispered Name is fit to stand with the finest thrillers inspired by the First World War.
https://www.amazon.com/Whispered-Name-Father-Thriller-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B07MXFJ1VS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=A+Whispered+Name&qid=1611045871&s=books&sr=1-1
2008
(William Brodrick stuns in this thriller featuring the bri...)
William Brodrick stuns in this thriller featuring the brilliant criminal lawyer-turned-monk/detective, Father Anselm. In The Day of the Lie, Father Anselm receives a visit from an old friend and former war correspondent with a dangerous story to tell - the story of a Roza Mojeska, an Eastern European revolutionary who was betrayed by someone close to her during the icy grip of the Cold War. After her betrayal, arrest, and imprisonment, Roza was forced to make a terrible choice that haunts her to this day. Now, Father Anselm is called upon to investigate this betrayal - and its connection to his friend. Father Anselm must peel back years of history, decades of secrets, and a half-century of lies of the brutal and oppressive Soviet occupation of Poland in order to expose a truth so shocking that an entire generation was killed to keep it hidden. The Day of the Lie is the gripping, intricate mystery that perceptively examines guilt, redemption, and the agonizing struggle for freedom.
https://www.amazon.com/Day-Lie-Father-Thriller-Thrillers/dp/1468315757/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=The+Day+of+the+Lie&qid=1611046253&s=books&sr=1-3
2012
(An anonymous letter accuses a prominent academic, Peter H...)
An anonymous letter accuses a prominent academic, Peter Henderson, of a grotesque murder: the calculated killing of Jenny, his disabled partner, believed by everyone to have died peacefully two years ago. Time has moved on. Grief and loss were tempered by a comforting thought: Jenny was spared a long and painful illness. Knowing the truth behind the soothing lie, Father Anselm - former barrister, current clergyman - must move cautiously to expose the killer and the killing without harming young Timothy, Jenny and Peter’s son. But Jenny’s father is looking out for his grandson, and he is capable of anything if he thinks it’s for the best. He has set out to execute Peter Henderson. Death, dying, and killing have never been so complicated.
https://www.amazon.com/Discourtesy-Death-Father-Anselm-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B07NQB5XX1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Discourtesy+of+Death&qid=1611046835&s=books&sr=1-1
2013
(In The Silent Ones, Brodrick tackles head-on the topical ...)
In The Silent Ones, Brodrick tackles head-on the topical and sensitive social issue that’s become the modern scourge of the Church to create an intricate thriller that’s as devastating as it is impactful. Father Anselm is enlisted to trace the missing Father Livermore, an American priest with a troubled past. His disappearance is undoubtedly connected to allegations made against him by the family of eleven-year-old Harry Brandwell, but a mysterious visitor to the Priory urges Father Anselm to find out why Harry is prepared to blame an innocent man. Father Anselm finds himself on the trail of an imposter, unaware that he is being drawn into the shadows of a mysterious conspiracy, his reputation for integrity exploited by those closest to him, and behind the victim, there also stand the ranks of the Silent Ones - those who have chosen silence as a way to face their own horrors - who also seek justice. Contemporary, disturbing, and elegantly plotted, The Silent Ones is a compelling novel about the anatomy of silence, the courage of victims, and the redemptive power of public justice.
https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Ones-Father-Thriller-Thrillers/dp/1468316834/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=The+Silent+Ones&qid=1611047080&s=books&sr=1-5
2015
(The last time Tess de Vere saw William Benson, she was a ...)
The last time Tess de Vere saw William Benson, she was a law student on work experience. He was a 21-year-old, led from the dock of the Old Bailey to begin a life sentence for murder. He'd said he was innocent. She'd believed him. Sixteen years later Tess overhears a couple of hacks mocking a newcomer to the London Bar, a no-hoper with a murder conviction, running his own show from an old fishmonger's in Spitalfields. That night she walks back into Benson's life. The price of his rehabilitation - and access to the bar - is an admission of guilt to the killing of Paul Harbeton, whose family have vowed revenge. He's an outcast. The government wants to shut him down, and no solicitor will instruct him. But he's subsidised by a mystery benefactor, and a desperate woman has turned to him for help: Sarah Collingstone, mother of a child with special needs, accused of slaying her wealthy lover. It's a hopeless case, and the murder trial, Benson's first, starts in four days. The evidence is overwhelming, but, like Benson long ago, she swears she's innocent. Tess joins the defence team, determined to help Benson survive. But as Benson follows the twists and turns in the courtroom, Tess embarks upon a secret investigation of her own, determined to uncover the truth behind the death of Paul Harbeton on a lonely night in Soho. True to life, fast-paced and absolutely compelling, Summary Justice introduces a new series of courtroom dramas featuring two maverick lawyers driven to fight injustice at any cost.
https://www.amazon.com/Summary-Justice/dp/B01MU2GNWL/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Summary+Justice+John+Fairfax&qid=1611047571&s=books&sr=1-1
2017
('An all-action court drama' Sunday Times on Summary Justi...)
'An all-action court drama' Sunday Times on Summary Justice She was found hanging in a dingy London bedsit with a blood orange in her mouth. Diane Heybridge, a young woman without a past or much of a future, has captured in death the compassion denied her in life. For the prosecution, this seeming suicide is nothing more than a bungled killing and a disgusted public looks to Court 2 of the Old Bailey for justice. Her callous, jilted partner Brent Stainsby stands accused of her murder and he's turned to the maverick legal team William Benson and Tess de Vere to defend him. However, as the trial unfolds it soon becomes clear that there is far more to Diane Heybridge than meets the eye. She wasn't the weak and downtrodden victim now being presented to the jury. She was capable of a sophisticated form of vengeance. By the same token, Brent Stainsby isn't who he seems to be either. He's hiding a motive for murder unknown to the police and may well be playing a deadly game of poker with the judicial process. What began as a simple trial rapidly turns into a complex search for the truth beyond the confines of the courtroom...
https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Defence-Benson-Vere-Fairfax/dp/1408708752/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Blind+Defence+John+Fairfax&qid=1611048023&s=books&sr=1-1
2018
(William Benson. Criminal barrister. Convicted murderer......)
William Benson. Criminal barrister. Convicted murderer... Convicted of murder sixteen years ago, William Benson is ostracised by the establishment and his family. Supported by a close-knit group including solicitor Tess de Vere, he's defied them all and opened his own Chambers. Now he faces the case of his life - and the terminal illness of Helen Camberley who helped him leave his prison life behind Jorge Menderez, a doctor from Spain, has been found dead in a deserted warehouse in East London. A troubled man, he'd turned to counselor Karen Lynwood seeking help. Now Karen's husband, John, is accused of his murder. Who is Menderez, and why did he come to London Benson is defending the couple against seemingly impossible odds, while secrets from his own past threaten to overwhelm him...
https://www.amazon.com/Forced-Confessions-Benson-William-Brodrick/dp/1408711605/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Forced+Confessions+John+Fairfax&qid=1611048505&s=books&sr=1-1
2020
William Brodrick was born on January 31, 1960, in Bolton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. Aged ten the family moved first to Australia and then Canada.
William Brodrick completed his school studies by studying in England and Australia. Later, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in the subjects of theology and philosophy at Heythrop College. This was followed by a Master of Theology degree and an Utter Barrister Degree.
William Brodrick was associated with this Christian order for a period of 6 years between 1979 and 1985. He started being a friar in Dublin, Ireland. There, he carried out his work on a farm that used the techniques of the Iron Age. This brought author Brodrick close to nature. And finally, after working for a few years for the Augustinian order, author Brodrick decided to leave. Brodrick became a barrister in 1991. His career lasted for 10 years.
An interesting personal background paves the way for William Brodrick's first novel, The Sixth Lamentation. He conquered cancer. More than anything, though, Brodrick always wanted to be a writer - even from the time he wrote a book about the First World War when he was nine years old. Brodrick’s life experiences mold the story told in The Sixth Lamentation. The Sixth Lamentation was inspired by the memories Brodrick had of his own mother, who in 1942 was arrested by the German Gestapo while trying to smuggle a Jewish child out of Amsterdam. Brodrick's mother survived the Holocaust, but the images never left Brodrick's mind.
Other books in the Father Anselm series include The Gardens of the Dead (2006), A Whispered Name (2008), The Day of the Lie (2012), The Discourtesy of Death (2013), The Silent Ones (2015). As John Fairfax, he published Summary Justice (2017), Blind Defence (2018), and Forced Confessions (2020).
(The Golden Dagger Award-winning installment of the Father...)
2008(Investigating the death of an attorney whose demise has b...)
2006(An anonymous letter accuses a prominent academic, Peter H...)
2013(In The Silent Ones, Brodrick tackles head-on the topical ...)
2015('An all-action court drama' Sunday Times on Summary Justi...)
2018(William Brodrick stuns in this thriller featuring the bri...)
2012(Larkwood Priory, Suffolk, 1995: Following his afternoon c...)
1999(The last time Tess de Vere saw William Benson, she was a ...)
2017(William Benson. Criminal barrister. Convicted murderer......)
2020William Brodrick told about his influences, "I can't point to any conscious influences. Intuitively, I suspect I'm indebted somehow to Richard Powers. The writer who has most influenced me (as opposed to my work) is probably Thomas Merton. That said, Aristotle, Aquinas, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Dickens, Moltmann, Rahner, Sobrino, and a host of others have all marked my thinking. As for technique, I bore in mind Bertrand Russell's short and invaluable essay 'How to write', which contains some wonderful maxims for expository prose. I also plundered the letters of C. S. Lewis who was frequently asked by young people for advice on the craft of writing. The replies, often a half-page in length, are gold dust."
William Brodrick is married and has three children.
