54 ratings | 7 reviews | avg rating:4.24

John Burns’s Followers (24)

John’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (0)
read (54)
did-not-finish (0)
an-essential-historical-accountread (0)
an-essential-read-and-indepth-analy (1)

John’s Friends (24)

Donna Foster

2,467 books | 5,000 friends

Micielle

184,853 books | 1,160 friends

Fictionophile

4,835 books | 3,517 friends

Ciara Lucero

89,797 books | 466 friends

Sheri

2,173 books | 1,899 friends

Penny Sansevieri

759 books | 819 friends

Henry

2,264 books | 1,024 friends

Mara Pemberton

3,004 books | 261 friends

More friends…

John Burns

Goodreads Author

Born

in Cambridge, The United States

Website

http://www.sanfranciscostoryworks.com

Twitter

https://twitter.com/JohnBurnsAuthor

Genre

Mystery, Thriller, Children's Novels

Influences

Elmore Lennard, Raymond Chandler, James Clavel, Jeffery Archer, Robert ...more

Member Since

June 2013

edit data

JOHN BURNS, "NATURAL BORN STORYTELLER", is the author of the internationally applauded Pengey Penguin Children's Classics; oftentimes referred to as, "BEDTIME STORIES FOR THE SOUL". His unique writing style, original themes, dialogue wizardry and character development provide entertaining, thought-provoking fairy tales that appeal to children and the adults who read to them. They all come complete a heart-warming moral compass but without any religious overtones, and without being being preachy.

Burns has always said, his children's stories are his most important contribution to kids, to the world and to literature. Burns also authored a vast collection of adult novels that include historical nonfiction, as well as highly praised crime/thri JOHN BURNS, "NATURAL BORN STORYTELLER", is the author of the internationally applauded Pengey Penguin Children's Classics; oftentimes referred to as, "BEDTIME STORIES FOR THE SOUL". His unique writing style, original themes, dialogue wizardry and character development provide entertaining, thought-provoking fairy tales that appeal to children and the adults who read to them. They all come complete a heart-warming moral compass but without any religious overtones, and without being being preachy.

Burns has always said, his children's stories are his most important contribution to kids, to the world and to literature. Burns also authored a vast collection of adult novels that include historical nonfiction, as well as highly praised crime/thrillers such as, THE GLASS ALIBI, a hard-boiled detective story set in San Francisco during the tough-times of the 1980's.

AWARDS: Burns is the only author ever awarded four coveted "REMI Awards" in one night, during the entire 54-year history of the Huston International Independent Film Festival. He is also the recipient of, The Living Legacy Award presented by the Arizona Branch of International Women in Film.

PRODUCER CREDITS: When streaming was in its infancy, Burns created the original RadioMystery.com, writing and directing for over 40 actors during its run. He also produced for the stage at the once famous, Bannam Palace Theater in San Francisco. His screen writing career includes his work with the Executive Producers of feature films such as, Leonardo DiCaprio's, "Catch Me If You Can", and Will Smith's, "I-Robot".

Burns is a former cable TV Executive. Working with the Janus and Criterion Film Collections, he produced the first cable TV production featuring the Academy Award Winning films of Toho Studios and director Akira Kirosawa. He wrote and directed popular films such as, "The Money Tree In Your Back Yard", and his short film, "Epilogue" taking first place in the First Los Angeles Short Film Festival.

Burns' adult education includes: The School of Contemporary Music, Boston Massachusetts, creative writing at San Francisco State University, Screenwriting with Professor Richard Walters, UCLA, also with Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout and Iron Man Three). He is a graduate of The Hollywood Film Institute.

John is married and splits his time living in the historic Bohemian district of North Beach, San Francisco and the beautiful desert oasis of Palm Springs, California. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask John Burns questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
John Burns’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 44 ratings · 16 reviews · 3 distinct works

	The Many Adventures of Pengey Penguin by John Burns (Goodreads Author), James Coles (Illustrator) 3.96 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 2005 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Glass Alibi 3.95 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	John Burns: The Many Adventures of Pengey Penguin 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

1 post
John Burns's Blog

Book of The Month

My debut urban/suspense novel, The Glass Alibi has been voted, Book of The Month by the London Based Crime Mystery Site.
There review is a no nonsense view of my work, that explains in intricate detail the ins and outs, twists and turns of my outrageous crime/thriller; but without giving away a single thing. Check it out.
https://www.crimethrillerhound.co.uk/" Read more of this blog post »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 16, 2021 23:11 • Tags: big-city-revenge-thriller, murder-mystery, the-glass-alibi, urban-private-eye-who-done-it

recent posts
John’s Groups

Making Connections — 14861 members — last activity Apr 30, 2026 09:56AM
Read, Review, and Make Connections

Indie Crime Fiction — 96 members — last activity Feb 27, 2026 01:37PM
Writers and readers of independent crime fiction, this is your Goodreads headquarters!

Mystery Lovers! — 1836 members — last activity Apr 06, 2026 12:59PM
Rain-on-the-windowpanes, chains-in-the-attic, figures struggling on the moor...this group is for fans of mystery! Find a book series, chat over s ...more

A Good Thriller — 22364 members — last activity 50 minutes ago
We share a passion for action-packed, gripping, exciting, tense thrillers and mysteries, a genre rich with talented authors. We invite you to share yo ...more

Robert B. Parker Appreciation Group — 62 members — last activity Oct 07, 2024 03:56AM
For fans of Robert B. Parker's novels, including: the Spenser, Sunny Randall, Jesse Stone, and Cole/Hitch series. ...more

Pulp Fiction — 1932 members — last activity 7 hours, 56 min ago
Hard Boiled detective novels, noir, and great crime novels (old and new)

Goodreads Librarians Group — 322295 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 56538 members — last activity 7 hours, 3 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more

Support for Indie Authors — 16653 members — last activity Apr 19, 2026 09:51AM
Officially 15k Members Strong & Climbing!! Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and le ...more