What do you think?
Rate this book
Harry Charters Chronicles
Join gumshoe detective Harry Charters as he tries to escape his demons with a shot of bourbon and a mystery chaser. His investigations include a rigged poker game, a missing teenager and tales of domestic strife. He also gets himself into the middle of gangland power struggles and comes head to head with a crime family who run an entire town.Harry Charters is not the kinda guy who calls the cops. Instead he dispenses his own brutal justice as he rights wrongs and settles balances. Will he come out on top or will the bottle get the better of him? Read Harry Charters Chronicles to find out.Praise for Graham Smith’s WritingPeter James - Author of the Roy Gace series"...a talented story teller."Matt Hilton – Author of the Joe Hunter novels“…Graham Smith is another talent to watch for…”Sheila Quigley - Author of The Seahills series and the Mike Yorke / Smiler novels“Graham Smith is not just a rising star but a shooting star.”Zoe Sharp - Author of the Charlie Fox novels".....fast-paced and intriguing. It kept me turning the pages to the end."Graham Smith is married with a young son. A time served joiner, he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. For the last eleven years he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland. An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer for the well respected review site Crimesquad.com for over two years.As well as reviewing Graham has also interviewed such stellar names as David Baldacci, Jeffrey Deaver, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Matt Hilton, current CWA Chair Peter James, Mark Billingham and many others.When not working, his time is spent reading, writing and playing games with his son. He enjoys socialising and spending time with friends and family.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2011
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 20, 2012
Harry Charters Chronicles is like a good old whisky, mellow and fiery at once. The protagonist is a jaded private eye. From the opening lines, Chandleresque and smoky as a bar room, to the closing paragraph I thoroughly enjoyed this ride. Smith has a knack for the catchphrase, the line that encapsulates a character’s gestures and mannerisms with skill, and this is one of the strengths of his storytelling. If you like classic crime fiction you will love this. With its sharp dialogue and tight plotting I recommend it.
March 1, 2016
It’s no secret to anyone who follows me on Facebook, Twitter or who happens to read my blog posts/reviews, that I am a huge fan of this author’s work. Ok…Ok…I adore Graham Smith’s books to the point where when I am not reading his work, I am counting down the days/weeks or months until I get my next fix! So when I came across this collection of short stories while browsing my kindle …a big ‘ol EEEEEK! was expelled from my mouth as I eagerly sat down and started reading.
The Harry Charters’ Chronicles is composed of 7 short stories detailing the protagonist, Harry Charters, unconventional methods of private investigation. For those of you who enjoy a good gumshoe detective story and don’t mind a little of the unexpected, this book will be right up your street!
Harry Charters is an ex-Army, ex-boxer, heavy drinking son-of-bitch Private Investigator who deals his own kind of justice. Charters is not afraid to use violence as a means to an end, although he draws the line at women and I would say/assume children too! It was nice to see he had some morals/ethics hidden deep beneath his badass exterior!
The setting of the stories brought me back to the 1940’s ~ hang on…I mean from what I have seen on tv or read in books! I am not that old!! I could almost visualise the smoke-filled rooms, gangsters sitting on bar stools planning out their next big job and brawls/arguments ensuing following the consumption of copious amounts of boubon. This also came out in the language the author used such as “He had the kind of face that tricked women into bed” ~~ it just oozes the feel of that era.
The pace was of the short, sharp, shock nature. With an immediate hook, the stories were not overly descriptive and the endings smacked you in the face leaving you with a bit of a rush. With Mr Smith, I have learned to expect the unexpected…and of course, he did not disappoint!
Harry Charter and the cases he finds himself involved in, reminded me of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe or Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer. Both of these characters have a streak of dark vigilantism and have no qualms about rubbing shoulders with the criminal underworld. But even they are pussycats compared to Harry Charters!
Two of the stories really stood out for me: All A Broad and The Smell of Perfume. I was absolutely shocked with the first one as it showed Harry to have an almost good side to him. A similar type of character to this authors Harry Evans ( from Snatched From Home) but…well …worse…..All A Broad showed there are just some things that Charter will not tolerate. It was a great story! But The Smell of Perfume…this just rocked! Again, we see that Harry has a human side as his desire to help a friend and man he respects, outweighed his need for money/alcohol…did I mention he is a heavy drinker?! A friggin alcoholic more like….this guy would put even the most hardened drinker to shame! The final line in this short story really was a great one! No spoilers though…you have to read it for yourself. But it is probably a line I will not forget any time soon.
I have to say…I do worry about Mr Smith and what goes on in his mind when I read his books, however, I worry even more about the fact that I am drawn to them so much! Would I recommend this book…you better friggin believe I would! Even for those of you who may think this style of story is not to your particular liking…I think you’ll find you are pleasantly surprised! I was!
The Harry Charters’ Chronicles is composed of 7 short stories detailing the protagonist, Harry Charters, unconventional methods of private investigation. For those of you who enjoy a good gumshoe detective story and don’t mind a little of the unexpected, this book will be right up your street!
Harry Charters is an ex-Army, ex-boxer, heavy drinking son-of-bitch Private Investigator who deals his own kind of justice. Charters is not afraid to use violence as a means to an end, although he draws the line at women and I would say/assume children too! It was nice to see he had some morals/ethics hidden deep beneath his badass exterior!
The setting of the stories brought me back to the 1940’s ~ hang on…I mean from what I have seen on tv or read in books! I am not that old!! I could almost visualise the smoke-filled rooms, gangsters sitting on bar stools planning out their next big job and brawls/arguments ensuing following the consumption of copious amounts of boubon. This also came out in the language the author used such as “He had the kind of face that tricked women into bed” ~~ it just oozes the feel of that era.
The pace was of the short, sharp, shock nature. With an immediate hook, the stories were not overly descriptive and the endings smacked you in the face leaving you with a bit of a rush. With Mr Smith, I have learned to expect the unexpected…and of course, he did not disappoint!
Harry Charter and the cases he finds himself involved in, reminded me of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe or Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer. Both of these characters have a streak of dark vigilantism and have no qualms about rubbing shoulders with the criminal underworld. But even they are pussycats compared to Harry Charters!
Two of the stories really stood out for me: All A Broad and The Smell of Perfume. I was absolutely shocked with the first one as it showed Harry to have an almost good side to him. A similar type of character to this authors Harry Evans ( from Snatched From Home) but…well …worse…..All A Broad showed there are just some things that Charter will not tolerate. It was a great story! But The Smell of Perfume…this just rocked! Again, we see that Harry has a human side as his desire to help a friend and man he respects, outweighed his need for money/alcohol…did I mention he is a heavy drinker?! A friggin alcoholic more like….this guy would put even the most hardened drinker to shame! The final line in this short story really was a great one! No spoilers though…you have to read it for yourself. But it is probably a line I will not forget any time soon.
I have to say…I do worry about Mr Smith and what goes on in his mind when I read his books, however, I worry even more about the fact that I am drawn to them so much! Would I recommend this book…you better friggin believe I would! Even for those of you who may think this style of story is not to your particular liking…I think you’ll find you are pleasantly surprised! I was!
August 3, 2012
Firmly in the Chandler, Hammett, Parker tradition of the tough guy Private Eye, though Harry seems less thoughtful and more violent than most . Spends a lot of time in the bottle.
I enjoyed the stories and would buy more. Mr Smith writes well, with some interesting turns of phrase and quips. Some longer stories might be interesting,especially if we found out a little more about Harry's background.
Standards of editing and proofreading are generally better than rather too many of the Do It Yourself brigade.
I enjoyed the stories and would buy more. Mr Smith writes well, with some interesting turns of phrase and quips. Some longer stories might be interesting,especially if we found out a little more about Harry's background.
Standards of editing and proofreading are generally better than rather too many of the Do It Yourself brigade.
October 20, 2012
This collection of short stories was a real joy to read. Our hero goes through life fighting his many demons - some with more success than others. He is a born fighter on so many levels. As I progressed through the stories, I became more and more attached to Harry Charters. By the end of this book, I was willing him to search out the scum of his world and dispense his justice on them. The characterisation of Harry is impecable and the style is easy to read, drawing the reader in almost without realising it. An excellent book which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone and everyone.
February 22, 2012
I enjoyed this set of short stories, the bonus additional story notwithstanding, a great deal. I would have liked the earlier ones to be a little longer, but generally speaking, they had a very strong, engaging atmosphere and tone. Details on the character were sparse, but it fit with the narrative voice. First Person is good like that. I thought Smith did a good job, and I'd like to see a full length story (novella or novel) from this character.
March 25, 2013
This is a great little collection of short detective stories. It's hard not to want to read them with the inner voice in your head sounding like the old black and white (or old radio show) detective voice. The stories are short, fast paced, and fun.
The author brings a bit of that old time detective charm back while at the same time keeping his stories fresh by making the character of Harry interesting by leaving the reader wanting to know more about him when they finish these short stories. Some of the stories had very unexpected twists! Once you finish these stories, you will be left wanting more!
The author brings a bit of that old time detective charm back while at the same time keeping his stories fresh by making the character of Harry interesting by leaving the reader wanting to know more about him when they finish these short stories. Some of the stories had very unexpected twists! Once you finish these stories, you will be left wanting more!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews