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Sharp and Short Volume II: Five Short Stories Featuring Harry Hawkins
Welcome to the second selection of short stories featuring the redoubtable force of nature that is Harry Hawkins.
'H' to friends and enemies alike.
The stories add range and depth to a character who has been described as the love child of Jack Regan (The Sweeney) and Jane Tennison (Prime Suspect).
The stories track him through a series of some of the defining moments that made him who he is. Intense tragic,comic - but always hard-edged - the five stories span decades and see H both at work and at play.
Can he save an innocent victim from descending into despair and madness after his wife is murdered? Put back the pieces of a young girl's life after the loss of her father? Prevent his one time police partner from going on a killing spree after she herself had been targeted by a serial killer?
TRIGGER WARNING:
If you require a trigger warning of any kind this story is not for you.
These stories, and more, are an absolute must for anyone who likes a cracking good yarn or has an interest in the development of a flawed but heroic character, a man who will do whatever it takes to do some good in our dark world.
'H' to friends and enemies alike.
The stories add range and depth to a character who has been described as the love child of Jack Regan (The Sweeney) and Jane Tennison (Prime Suspect).
The stories track him through a series of some of the defining moments that made him who he is. Intense tragic,comic - but always hard-edged - the five stories span decades and see H both at work and at play.
Can he save an innocent victim from descending into despair and madness after his wife is murdered? Put back the pieces of a young girl's life after the loss of her father? Prevent his one time police partner from going on a killing spree after she herself had been targeted by a serial killer?
TRIGGER WARNING:
If you require a trigger warning of any kind this story is not for you.
These stories, and more, are an absolute must for anyone who likes a cracking good yarn or has an interest in the development of a flawed but heroic character, a man who will do whatever it takes to do some good in our dark world.
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2020
4 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Roy Robson
27 books54 followersRoy Robson was born in southeast London, in the UK. He has worked on a market stall, as a squash coach, on a factory assembly line and as a youth support worker. He eventually trained in the dark art of computer programming and worked for many years in the City of London, designing systems to track the flow of money around the world. He will confess to this being an almost impossible task.
He presently writes two series.
The Kenzie Marsh books involve a detective who has hit rock bottom after the death of her son and the collapse of her marriage. She is recruited by British Intelligence on a secret mission where she discovers a conspiracy so shocking it threatens not only her life, but the lives of everybody she knows.
The bestselling London Large series - which he co-authors with his brother Garry - features the relentless force of nature that is DI Harry 'H' Hawkins. As the tide of criminal gangs that flood London increases, Harry will stop at nothing to protect those he loves and do everything in his power to keep his city halfway civilised.
Roy has two daughters and currently lives in Bromley with his wife.
Website: https://royrobsonauthor.com/
Sign up for Roy's Newsletter and receive your FREE starter library: https://subscribepage.io/St8MdI
He presently writes two series.
The Kenzie Marsh books involve a detective who has hit rock bottom after the death of her son and the collapse of her marriage. She is recruited by British Intelligence on a secret mission where she discovers a conspiracy so shocking it threatens not only her life, but the lives of everybody she knows.
The bestselling London Large series - which he co-authors with his brother Garry - features the relentless force of nature that is DI Harry 'H' Hawkins. As the tide of criminal gangs that flood London increases, Harry will stop at nothing to protect those he loves and do everything in his power to keep his city halfway civilised.
Roy has two daughters and currently lives in Bromley with his wife.
Website: https://royrobsonauthor.com/
Sign up for Roy's Newsletter and receive your FREE starter library: https://subscribepage.io/St8MdI
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 29, 2020
I am not normally a fan of short stories, but I have to admit that these tales really capture the essence of the places and times of Harry and provide some really interesting and exciting to the backstory of H, both when he was a cop and now a private investigator.
Unusually for this type of story they tend to not concentrate on Harry but rather on other people and situations, although of course he is always present in the stories.
For anyone who has read any, or all, of the London Large series, this, together with volume 1, make essential reading to flesh out H and his family and friends.
I received an advance copy of the book, but have voluntarily reviewed it.
Unusually for this type of story they tend to not concentrate on Harry but rather on other people and situations, although of course he is always present in the stories.
For anyone who has read any, or all, of the London Large series, this, together with volume 1, make essential reading to flesh out H and his family and friends.
I received an advance copy of the book, but have voluntarily reviewed it.
January 24, 2020
This is a delicious collection of short stories about policeman Harry Hawkins’s career through the years. They start off at the beginning of his career in 1986 and end in 2019 when he’s retired and works as a PI.
HARRY WALKS INTO A BAR
Although he’s not been a policeman all that long, Harry is a keen observer. When he’s having a drink in a bar, he sees people and a situation that will lead to crime; So he follows them out and he does witness an attempted crime. But it is the alleged criminal who turns out to be the victim.
ON MARGATE BEACH
The story of an eventful day trip a group of Londoners make to Margate in 1994. Harry’s extended family joins the coach trip. This isn’t a crime story but allows a peek into the family life of the protagonist. It is a beautiful story with multiple layers about family and what makes up a family. It also brought back memories of family picknicks and day trips we had when I was little.
PETER BRADY
A man loses his wife in a carjacking. The murderer goes free in court and the husband seeks out his
A sad and tragic story. But the reality is that there are a lot of known criminals that walk free because there’s not enough proof or because of a stupid legal loophole. The other way round happens as well when an innocent person gets convicted and locked up. But should a citizen take the law into his own hands?
FIRST CONTACT
The story about the first encounter between H and Amisha. He wasn’t pleased when the pretty, Cambridge educated IT specialist had to be his new partner. But when they to work together to solve a hostage situation, mutual respect for the other one’s skills and talents emerges.
Apart from the first story is this the only one with a (sort of) happy ending.
AMISHA'S CHOICE
After her horrendous ordeal at the hands of a serial killer, Amisha ‘s developed a radar for ‘bad’ men. She notices that another predator, not unknown to the police but crafty enough to wiggle out of the accusations of his victims, has his eyes on her. She knows what she wants to do, but will she, should she, is it excusable? She takes her moral dilemma to H, her mentor and friend.
A tough story, this one. Yes, this bloke is vermin and will undoubtedly ruin the lives of several more women. But who appointed you as judge, jury and executioner? And where will you stop? What sort of crimes are eligible and how much evidence do you need? How can you guarantee that you won’t target innocent men with evidence that only looks wrong?
I received a free ARC of this book, this my honest and unbiased review of it.
HARRY WALKS INTO A BAR
Although he’s not been a policeman all that long, Harry is a keen observer. When he’s having a drink in a bar, he sees people and a situation that will lead to crime; So he follows them out and he does witness an attempted crime. But it is the alleged criminal who turns out to be the victim.
ON MARGATE BEACH
The story of an eventful day trip a group of Londoners make to Margate in 1994. Harry’s extended family joins the coach trip. This isn’t a crime story but allows a peek into the family life of the protagonist. It is a beautiful story with multiple layers about family and what makes up a family. It also brought back memories of family picknicks and day trips we had when I was little.
PETER BRADY
A man loses his wife in a carjacking. The murderer goes free in court and the husband seeks out his
A sad and tragic story. But the reality is that there are a lot of known criminals that walk free because there’s not enough proof or because of a stupid legal loophole. The other way round happens as well when an innocent person gets convicted and locked up. But should a citizen take the law into his own hands?
FIRST CONTACT
The story about the first encounter between H and Amisha. He wasn’t pleased when the pretty, Cambridge educated IT specialist had to be his new partner. But when they to work together to solve a hostage situation, mutual respect for the other one’s skills and talents emerges.
Apart from the first story is this the only one with a (sort of) happy ending.
AMISHA'S CHOICE
After her horrendous ordeal at the hands of a serial killer, Amisha ‘s developed a radar for ‘bad’ men. She notices that another predator, not unknown to the police but crafty enough to wiggle out of the accusations of his victims, has his eyes on her. She knows what she wants to do, but will she, should she, is it excusable? She takes her moral dilemma to H, her mentor and friend.
A tough story, this one. Yes, this bloke is vermin and will undoubtedly ruin the lives of several more women. But who appointed you as judge, jury and executioner? And where will you stop? What sort of crimes are eligible and how much evidence do you need? How can you guarantee that you won’t target innocent men with evidence that only looks wrong?
I received a free ARC of this book, this my honest and unbiased review of it.
January 27, 2020
I'm always thrilled to see a new London Large story. Harry Hawkins is the iconic hard-boiled cop turned P.I., a man who, through a long career with the London constabulary, believed in justice, if not jurisprudence and who always did what was right, even when it wasn't what was legal. Reading H's stories always brings to mind another Harry, Clint Eastwood's hard nosed and world weary Dirty Harry. The two heroes would have probably liked each other had H found himself on the mean streets of urban America or had Dirty Harry ever decided on a career where he could spend his Saturday afternoons taking in “football” games among the hooligans of the British soccer league.
As a result, I was excited to receive a copy of the latest collection of London Large short stories and I wasn't disappointed. These are all stand alone tales and they span most of H's life. The first tale takes place during Harry's first days as a copper with the Met, and the last falls shortly after Undefeated, just after Amisha returns to London after her stay at the “funny farm” as H refers to the facility where she convalesced from the physical and emotional damage she suffered during her brush with death at the hands of a serial killer she had trusted.
Although none of these stories, with the possible exception of Amisha's Choice, the last story in the collection, have any direct bearing on the biography and life of Harry Hawkins as established in the many series, they all provide a more in depth understanding of the character and the world he comes from. More importantly, they're really good stories. If you're a fan of good heroes who aren't always good cops, you will love all of the London Large stories, and if you're looking for a place to start, you could do a lot worse than to begin here with this collection of short stories.
As a result, I was excited to receive a copy of the latest collection of London Large short stories and I wasn't disappointed. These are all stand alone tales and they span most of H's life. The first tale takes place during Harry's first days as a copper with the Met, and the last falls shortly after Undefeated, just after Amisha returns to London after her stay at the “funny farm” as H refers to the facility where she convalesced from the physical and emotional damage she suffered during her brush with death at the hands of a serial killer she had trusted.
Although none of these stories, with the possible exception of Amisha's Choice, the last story in the collection, have any direct bearing on the biography and life of Harry Hawkins as established in the many series, they all provide a more in depth understanding of the character and the world he comes from. More importantly, they're really good stories. If you're a fan of good heroes who aren't always good cops, you will love all of the London Large stories, and if you're looking for a place to start, you could do a lot worse than to begin here with this collection of short stories.
January 27, 2020
Garry and Roy Robson have created an enduring character in Harry ‘H’ Hawkins set in their London Large series. This collection features ‘H’ in many different time periods and for fans of the series is a must read as we get to see a bit more of ‘the big mans’ past. For anyone new to the work of these authors then this can serve as an introduction of what to expect with the series itself all while being very entertaining in its own right. This collection has all the hallmarks of the writers style and talent with each being well written and entertaining from start to finish. These being shorter tales they are quick hits of ‘H’ and his London and those that inhabit it. I won’t break down each story so I won’t ruin the reading for anyone but I’ll just say fans or not these are really fun stories that add a little extra something to the world of the London Large series. Immensely entertaining and great fun to read, I highly recommended this superb collection of London Large short stories.
March 20, 2020
I have not enjoyed all the short stories in this series, but this compilation is all good ones. If you can't get enough of the London Large world, look no further.
Warning: Amisha's Choice contains major spoilers for London Large 5: Way Past Evil. I was super frustrated that no one warned me about this, and it basically ruined the whole book for me.
Warning: Amisha's Choice contains major spoilers for London Large 5: Way Past Evil. I was super frustrated that no one warned me about this, and it basically ruined the whole book for me.
January 7, 2022
A nice collection of 5 short stories to help us see into Harry and his life as a murder detective. The stories are well written, get right into the search for killers and exhibit his amazing ability to assemble facts into the story of what happened. We learn his motivations and techniques.
If you like police action in murder mysteries this is a definite read.
If you like police action in murder mysteries this is a definite read.
October 7, 2020
epub, 83 pages, publication date January 23 2020
The mixture much as before - the stories are set thrrough the span of H's career up to 2019 and while most are in the south London area there's a day trip to Margate, which is bittersweet.
The mixture much as before - the stories are set thrrough the span of H's career up to 2019 and while most are in the south London area there's a day trip to Margate, which is bittersweet.
June 27, 2023
Sharp and Short Volume II: Five Short Stories Featuring Harry Hawkins by Roy Robson.
Sorry but I could not make head nor tail about these five stories they just did not appeal to me in any way. The characters did not appeal to me neighter did the storylines.
Sorry but I could not make head nor tail about these five stories they just did not appeal to me in any way. The characters did not appeal to me neighter did the storylines.
January 27, 2020
Another great selection of short stories featuring Harry Hawkins. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read the next book.
February 1, 2020
Enjoyed all the short stories and after reading the last one about Amisha I am already looking forward to the next book. Maybe it will include 161 Grange Rd SE1....
March 26, 2020
GREAT 👍FANTASTIC
Thanks for all your books 📚.I give all your books 10*Please keep Harry&co going with more great stories.💞💋See you soon
Thanks for all your books 📚.I give all your books 10*Please keep Harry&co going with more great stories.💞💋See you soon
March 23, 2023
Good stuff here. Some short stories about Hawkins' various points in his career. Strong lead character who is very comfortable with himself. I'll have to get around to reading the novels.
June 18, 2021
five short stories starring policeman Harry Hawkins. Harry is known as "H" and is kind of hard to pin down.
He is definitely on the side of justice, even if it means cutting corners and ignoring protocol
He is definitely on the side of justice, even if it means cutting corners and ignoring protocol
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews