113 ratings | 8 reviews | avg rating:4.49

Jan’s Year In Books

Jan’s 2019 Year in Books

Take a look at Jan’s Year in Books. The long, the short—it’s all here.

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Jan’s Bookshelves

read (109)
currently-reading (0)
to-read (34)

Jan’s Friends (386)

John Logan

54 books | 120 friends

Caz

50 books | 185 friends

Ann Macdonald

309 books | 9 friends

Clive Johnson

0 books | 2,177 friends

Rachel

413 books | 13 friends

Arun Ellis

296 books | 1,547 friends

Linda Gillard

52 books | 564 friends

Brendan Gisby

79 books | 136 friends

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Jan Needle

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.janneedle.com/

Twitter

janneedle

Genre

Thriller, Historical Fiction, Children's

Member Since

September 2012

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Jan Needle has written more than forty books, including novels for adults and children and literary criticism. He also writes plays for stage, TV and radio, including serials and series like Grange Hill, The Bill and Brookside. His first novel, Wild Wood, is a retelling of The Wind in the Willows with Toad, Rat, Mole and Co as the ‘villains’ - a sort of undeserving rural squirearchy – and the stoats and weasels as heroes. A new version was brought out recently by Golden Duck, with the original wonderful illustrations by the late Willie Rushton.

Although he is currently working on a film of perhaps his most celebrated children’s book, My Mate Shofiq, Jan has recently been concentrating on historical novels about his first and most enduring Jan Needle has written more than forty books, including novels for adults and children and literary criticism. He also writes plays for stage, TV and radio, including serials and series like Grange Hill, The Bill and Brookside. His first novel, Wild Wood, is a retelling of The Wind in the Willows with Toad, Rat, Mole and Co as the ‘villains’ - a sort of undeserving rural squirearchy – and the stoats and weasels as heroes. A new version was brought out recently by Golden Duck, with the original wonderful illustrations by the late Willie Rushton.

Although he is currently working on a film of perhaps his most celebrated children’s book, My Mate Shofiq, Jan has recently been concentrating on historical novels about his first and most enduring love, the sea, and a series of extremely gritty thrillers. His aim has always been to transcend standard genre writing, which has sometimes brought him disapproval. The ‘hero’ of his first naval fiction, A Fine Boy for Killing, is a borderline sadist, and life on the frigate Welfare undermines almost every heroic myth popularized by earlier writers. Loved or hated, his novels refuse to be ignored.

His thrillers are also firmly in the ‘noir’ spectrum. The most recent is The Bonus Boys, which features a hard-as-nails investigator called Andrew Forbes and his Scottish lover Rosanna ‘the Mouse’ Nixon, who first appeared in Kicking Off, a chilling warning about the fissile state of Britain’s crumbling prisons. More are in the pipeline, as are additions to a series of novellas about crime, the 18th century navy, and the secret world of spies and spying. Even the possibility that Napoleon escaped from his exile on St Helena is examined. Like many ‘mere conspiracy theories’ it uncovers some extraordinary possibilities.

Jan also attempts, in conjunction with Walker Books, to widen the readership for certain classic novels. They include so far Moby Dick, Dracula, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Woman in White, all aimed at a young adult audience . In his spare time, he sails boats and plays a variety of musical instruments.
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Average rating: 3.8 · 1,261 ratings · 124 reviews · 56 distinct works • Similar authors

	Moby-Dick by Jan Needle (Goodreads Author) (Adaptor), Patrick Benson (Illustrator) , Herman Melville 3.71 avg rating — 163 ratings — 2 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
	A Fine Boy for Killing 3.70 avg rating — 97 ratings — published 1983 — 6 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
	Undertaker's Wind (Sea Officer William Bentley Book 4) 3.90 avg rating — 40 ratings — published 2006 — 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
	The Wicked Trade 3.58 avg rating — 53 ratings — published 1998 — 6 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 Spithead Nymph 3.88 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2004 — 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
	El ladrón 3.42 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 1990 — 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 Sea Officer Bentley Thrillers: A naval fiction box set 3.68 avg rating — 28 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
	The Devil's Luck 3.91 avg rating — 23 ratings — published 2013	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
	Wild Wood 4.12 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 1982 — 6 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 Bully 3.35 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 1995 — 7 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

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Jan Needle's Blog

History on the hoof...

The historic history festival is about to get underway, but the book of mine which is up for grabs in the competition - Death Order - only goes back to World War II.

Most of my historic work so far is nautical, although the most recent is a short adventure about Napoleon's supposed attempt to escape from St Helena in a submarine. Crazy though that sounds, there's lot of evidence that it was act... Read more of this blog post »

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Published on April 13, 2016 06:44

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Series by Jan Needle

Sea Officer William Bentley (4 books)
by

Jan Needle (Goodreads Author)

3.74 avg rating — 231 ratings

Nelson Chronicles (3 books)
by

Jan Needle (Goodreads Author)

3.32 avg rating — 34 ratings

A Charlie Raven Adventure (2 books)
by

Jan Needle (Goodreads Author)

3.57 avg rating — 23 ratings

The Size Spies (2 books)
by

Jan Needle (Goodreads Author),

Roy Bentley (Illustrator)

3.91 avg rating — 11 ratings

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Jan is now friends with Amos Amaya
Jan 16, 2020 01:01PM · like
Jan recommended THE LAST VALLEY: A journey into the Heart of Darkness to Sue Marsh THE LAST VALLEY: A journey into the Heart of Darkness by Mark Frankland	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
Dec 17, 2019 09:39AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of THE LAST VALLEY by Mark Frankland. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — THE LAST VALLEY by Mark Frankland <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan and 1 other person liked Brendan Gisby's review of The Sparrow Conundrum: "Squawk! Well, I can tell you that this Kirton fellow has ruffled quite a few feathers among the criminal fraternity here in Aberdeen. I wonder who gave him all the gen on our operations. Which wee birdie spilled the seed? Which cowardly canary twee..." Read more of this review »
Nov 13, 2019 02:04AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Sparrow Conundrum by Bill Kirton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Sparrow Conundrum by Bill Kirton <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan rated a book really liked it The Bonny Boy (Harry Gilmour #4) by David Black (Goodreads Author)	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
Oct 24, 2019 02:51AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Bonny Boy by David Black. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Bonny Boy by David Black <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan wants to read Hidden Hunters: A WW2 Action-Thriller Omnibus by Antony Melville-Ross	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
Oct 24, 2019 02:49AM · 7 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hidden Hunters by Antony Melville-Ross. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hidden Hunters by Antony Melville-Ross <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan wants to read Dead Of Night by Brendan DuBois (Goodreads Author)	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
Oct 24, 2019 02:47AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dead Of Night by Brendan DuBois. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dead Of Night by Brendan DuBois <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan wants to read The Man From Berlin (Gregor Reinhardt, #1) by Luke McCallin (Goodreads Author)	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
Oct 01, 2019 07:27AM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Man From Berlin by Luke McCallin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Man From Berlin by Luke McCallin <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan rated a book it was amazing Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum	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
Oct 01, 2019 07:27AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan wants to read Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon	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
Oct 01, 2019 07:26AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jan wants to read In a Glass Darkly by J. Sheridan Le Fanu	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
Oct 01, 2019 07:26AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In a Glass Darkly by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In a Glass Darkly by J. Sheridan Le Fanu <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA? robot/clockwork/windup boy at niagara falls [s]	4	35	Nov 15, 2015 05:53AM
THE WORLD WAR TWO...: Novels of WW2	767	660	12 hours, 16 min ago

Jan’s Year In Books

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Jan Needle

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