William Brodrick (writer)

William Brodrick (born 31.01.1960) is a British novelist, famous in particular for his first novel The Sixth Lamentation,[1][2] which was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. He also won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award in 2009 for his novel A Whispered Name.

He joined the order of the Augustinians after obtaining his A-levels and then, following the order's advice, attended Heythrop College, University of London where he read philosophy and theology. He subsequently left the order and attended a Common professional examination (law) course in Manchester. After passing the bar exam, Brodrick moved to Newcastle upon Tyne where he practised as a barrister for 10 years. It was only in his 10th year of practice that Brodrick had a change of vocation, writing his first novel, The Sixth Lamentation, in his spare time. The international success of this first stride into the world of writing allowed Brodrick to leave his set of chambers and move to Normandy, France where he became a novelist full-time. To date he has now written 6 novels in the Father Anselm Series and 2 under the pen name of John Fairfax (Summary Justice and Blind Defence). He still lives in the small Norman village he originally moved to with his wife and three children.