62 ratings | 33 reviews | avg rating:4.85

more photos (1)

Daniel Kemp’s Followers (122)

Daniel’s Bookshelves

to-read (10)
currently-reading (0)
read (58)
america (1)
austria (1)
banking (1)
bestseller-on-amazon (1)
cia (1)
contemporary (1)
crime (5)
See all bookshelves »

Daniel’s Friends (1,173)

2,146 books | 687 friends

P.S. Winn

15,674 books | 4,970 friends

Boris Slocum

410 books | 1,305 friends

P.S. Clinen

414 books | 463 friends

Martha Perez

686 books | 2,128 friends

Laurel

2,750 books | 179 friends

Tina Callaghan

1,201 books | 482 friends

Thomas Jr.

963 books | 364 friends

More friends…

Daniel Kemp

Goodreads Author

Born

in London, The United Kingdom

Website

https://theauthordannykemp.com/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/danielkemp6

Genre

Crime, History, Thriller

Influences

John Le Carré

Member Since

October 2017

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomdanielkemp

edit data

Daniel Kemp is now a member of The Society of Authors. His introduction to the world of espionage and mystery happened at an early age when his father was employed by the War Office in Whitehall, London, at the end of WWII. However, it wasn’t until after his father died that he showed any interest in anything other than himself!

On leaving academia he took on many roles in his working life: a London police officer, mini-cab business owner, pub tenant and licensed London taxi driver, but never did he plan to become a writer. Nevertheless, after a road traffic accident left him suffering from PTSD and effectively—out of paid work for four years, he wrote and self-published his first novel —The Desolate Garden. Within three months of publicatio Daniel Kemp is now a member of The Society of Authors. His introduction to the world of espionage and mystery happened at an early age when his father was employed by the War Office in Whitehall, London, at the end of WWII. However, it wasn’t until after his father died that he showed any interest in anything other than himself!

On leaving academia he took on many roles in his working life: a London police officer, mini-cab business owner, pub tenant and licensed London taxi driver, but never did he plan to become a writer. Nevertheless, after a road traffic accident left him suffering from PTSD and effectively—out of paid work for four years, he wrote and self-published his first novel —The Desolate Garden. Within three months of publication, that book was under a paid option to become a $30 million film. The option lasted for five years until distribution became an insurmountable problem for the production company.

All ten of his novels are now published by Next Chapter with the tenth novel being a two-part ending to the Heirs and Descendants Series. A Covenant of Spies completed the four-book series alongside What Happened In Vienna, Jack? Once I Was A Soldier and A Widow's Son.

The Desolate Garden went on to become a bestselling novel in World and Russian Literature in 2017. The following year, in May 2018, his book What Happened In Vienna, Jack? was a number-one bestseller on four separate Amazon sites: America, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

Although he primarily focuses on mystery murders involving spies, his varied life experiences showcase his depth of knowledge. He has written two novellas, "Why? A Complicated Love" and the intriguing "The Story That Had No Beginning."

He is the recipient of rave reviews from a prestigious Manhattan publication and described as—the new Graham Green—by a highly placed employee of Waterstones Books, for whom he did a countrywide tour of book signing events. He has also appeared on 'live' television in the UK publicising his first novel.

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Kemp/...
...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Daniel Kemp questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Daniel Kemp’s books

Average rating: 3.74 · 603 ratings · 123 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	What Happened In Vienna, Jack? 3.68 avg rating — 316 ratings — 16 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 Desolate Garden 3.93 avg rating — 178 ratings — published 2012 — 14 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
	Why A Complicated Love 4.26 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 25 — 5 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
	Once I Was A Soldier (Lies And Consequences Book 2) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 36 ratings — 14 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 Story That Had No Beginning 3.76 avg rating — 34 ratings — 13 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 Covenant Of Spies 3.56 avg rating — 25 ratings — 11 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
	Percy Crow by Danny Kemp (Goodreads Author), Daniel Kemp (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2015 — 13 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 Widow's Son 4.07 avg rating — 15 ratings — 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
	What Comes Before liked it 3.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — 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
	My Truth, Your Lies (#4 Heirs And Descendants) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — 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

More books by Daniel Kemp…

158 posts
Daniel Kemp's Blog: FREE AUDIOBOOK

One In, One Out Of Love

One In, One Out

Of Love

The excitement was overwhelming I was almost losing my grip
It was as if I was clinging to a precipice with my feet about to slip.
The air was becoming oppressive, and my breathing was being cut short.
There had to be an end to this one of us had to call a halt.

Time had run its distance the bell was calling for time
What once was shared by just two was now a pantomime.
On show fo Read more of this blog post »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 11, 2023 07:25 • Tags: bloggers, blogs, books, daniel-kemp, love, words

View all 158 posts »

Quotes by Daniel Kemp (?)

“There is no morality to be found in evil.
But to recognise that which is truly evil one must forget the rules of morality.”
― Daniel Kemp, The Desolate Garden

tags: a-team, arson, hatton-garden, iverson, murder, once, russia, soldier, torture

4 likes

“If one totally accepts reality as being the only physical concept then one is denying the existence of imagination.”
― Daniel Kemp

tags: daniel-kemp, wanderings

2 likes

“There is nothing as stale as an empty mind.”
― Daniel Kemp

1 likes

See all Daniel Kemp's quotes »

Daniel’s Quotes

“There is no morality to be found in evil.
But to recognise that which is truly evil one must forget the rules of morality.”
― Daniel Kemp, The Desolate Garden

tags: a-team, arson, hatton-garden, iverson, murder, once, russia, soldier, torture

4 likes

“There is nothing as complicated as the truth”
― Daniel Kemp, Why A Complicated Love

tags: complications, conviction, lies, newton, truth, understanding

6 likes

“Use a pen to write the story but use your heart to tell the tale.”
― Daniel Kemp

tags: blog, bloggers, despair, hope, life, love, society-of-writers-belief, walk

0 likes

“Let your curiosity be the key to your imagination.”
― Daniel Kemp, The Desolate Garden

tags: curiosity, imagination

0 likes

“If you ever reach that stage in life where you really couldn't give a toss about what others think of you, then you have achieved freedom.”
― Daniel Kemp

tags: jack, once-i-was-a-soldier, percy-crow, the-desolate-garden, what-happened-in-vienna

4 likes

More of Daniel’s quotes…

recent posts
Daniel’s Groups

Cozy Mysteries — 24233 members — last activity 7 minutes ago
For those who love a good cozy mystery while curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee/tea/cocoa and maybe a dog/cat next to them. Please be kind ...more

UK Book Club — 6934 members — last activity Jan 26, 2026 03:23AM
This is a book group for Goodreads users in the UK, but members from other countries are welcome too so long as all posts are made in English. Please ...more

Goodreads Reviewers' Group — 13325 members — last activity 4 hours, 17 min ago
This group helps to bring Reviewers and Authors together! Reviewers can make their own thread to post their reviews in, or post their reviews in the r ...more

Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends — 7090 members — last activity Jan 26, 2026 11:21AM
This group warmly accepts newcomers. Whereas mystery and thriller is the focus, we also love a great read, regardless of genre. Originally formed from ...more

UK Amazon Kindle Forum — 6673 members — last activity 1 hour, 41 min ago
Where every hour is happy hour.

Brilliant Books You've Never Heard Of — 1771 members — last activity Jan 12, 2021 04:41AM
Looking for something off the beaten path? This is a great place to start. We are going to be focused on modern books, anything published after 1960, ...more

Goodreads Librarians Group — 310092 members — last activity 1 minute ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

Modern Good Reads — 6773 members — last activity Jan 26, 2026 01:19PM
Modern Good Reads connects readers with books, authors, & challenges. We want to chat, inform, & provide events & discussions, a home for readers and ...more

Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers — 25941 members — last activity 44 minutes ago
Welcome! Join us for our monthly group reads. We read Crime stories, Mysteries, & Thrillers. ...more

G.N.A. Publishing░N░e░w░ ░A░u░t░h░o░r░s░ — 1241 members — last activity Nov 02, 2025 08:46AM
📜𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓾𝓹𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓕𝓪𝓬𝓮𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴, 𝓣𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻,𝓘𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓶, 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓣𝓾𝓫𝓮 & 𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼. 📜𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓼&𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓼,𝓶𝓮𝓮 ...more

More of Daniel’s groups…

Daniel’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.

Daniel Kemp’s Followers (122)

Daniel Kemp

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions