Silvertail Books to republish classic military thrillers

Silvertail Books is to bring four classic military thrillers by Mike Lunnon-Wood back into print.

Published collectively as The British Military Quartet, the titles are: Long Reach, King’s Shilling, Let Not the Deep and Congo Blue, which has previously been published as Heraklion Blue. The books were originally published by HarperCollins.

Silvertail bought world rights to all four titles from the author’s son, Piers Lunnon-Wood. Each book will contain a foreword from Rowland White, author of military non-fiction. 

White said: "Mike Lunnon-Wood was a top drawer thriller writer whose research was outstanding. His knowledge enhanced and enriched his page-turning plots rather than burdening it. But it was his characters that really shone. Here was a writer that seemed to perfectly capture the spirit, humour, camaraderie and ingenuity of Britain’s fighting men and women. And their courage. No one else came close to doing what Mike did with anything like the same feel and understanding for the world he wrote about."

Mike Lunnon-Wood was born in Africa and educated in Australia and New Zealand. He worked in the Middle East for 10 years before moving to West Sussex. His writing was characterised by the quality of research he conducted, spending time with soldiers, sailors and airman in support of each book. He passed away in 2008.

Piers Lunnon-Wood said: "The work that Mike put into the research of these books took thousands of hours and took him all over the world. I am incredibly proud that his literary legacy is resurfacing in 2016. Whether by old fan or a newcomer to the genre, he wrote these novels to be enjoyed. My family and I are beyond happy they are back out there."

Silvertail publisher Humfrey Hunter added: "Mike Lunnon-Wood’s books are truly great thrillers. They are gripping stories full of authenticity but, best of all, they are object lessons in how to write characters into a kind of fiction which depends as much on its portrayal of people as that of sophisticated details. I am delighted and honoured to have four such brilliant books on Silvertail’s list and cannot wait to introduce them to a whole new audience."

The four books will be published simultaneously on 15th September in trade paperback at £12.99 each and in e-book for £1.99 each.