Frank Barnard

Frank Barnard is the UK best-selling author of Blue Man Falling, widely known for his trilogy of thrillers about Royal Air Force fighter pilots in World War Two featuring true-Brit Kit Curtis and the insouciant American volunteer Ossie Wolf. Both characters fight their way from near defeat in France in 1940 to pivotal air battles in Malta in 1941 to victories in North Africa in 1942. Reviewers have noted:

' A gripping fusion of thrills and historical plausibility. Assuredly, no piece of cake.' Daily Telegraph

' A gritty story that avoids cliches, a jolly good read.' Sunday Express

' Shows what a master wordsmith can do with historical events by adding a layer of fiction...breathtakingly authentic, a fresh take on fading history.' Courier-Mail Australia

' Fantastic writing, terrific atmosphere, every smell & sound is authentic to the period but the author's pace is as modern as it gets.' Peter James, international No.1 thriller writer

' Brilliantly observed, structured and well-informed.' Raymond Baxter, RAF Spitfire pilot and BBC TV/Radio presenter

Frank followed the success of Blue Man Falling, Band Of Eagles and To Play The Fox with two further novels, A Time For Heroes charting the career of a record-breaker from the early days of flying, and A Remembrance Of Ghosts, a supernatural tale based partly on experiences as a newspaper reporter in the 1950s. Both secured critical accolades.

Frank says of flying: ' I learned to fly a Tiger Moth before joining the RAF as a conscript. Asked to pitch to a publisher I'd been reading accounts of Hurricane squadrons during the fall of France so that was a natural starting point.'

The author came to fiction after a career with global US PR agencies, lives in rural Somerset, England, is married with two daughters, four grandchildren and has raced cars since the 1960s; still does, aged 85.

Photos show Tiger Moth trips, self in 1940 watching for Luftwaffe in Kent, downed Me109 that crash-landed nearby, same year.

Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankBarnard

On Facebook www.facebook.com/frankbarnard

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