Peter Bartram

Peter Bartram has drawn on years of experience as a journalist while writing his Crampton of the Chronicle crime mystery series (www.colincrampton.com). The novels feature the adventures of Colin Crampton, a crime reporter on the Evening Chronicle, in 1960s Brighton, England.

Peter decided a reporter would make a great protagonist in crime mysteries after he recalled an incident in his own career. He was threatened by a thug that bad things would happen if the guilty verdict in his court case was mentioned in the paper. When told about this, the editor splashed Peter’s report on the front page. And Peter had to watch his back for a couple of days!

The Crampton novels are fast-paced and humorous – the action is matched by the laughs, just like life in a real newsroom. Swinging Sixties Brighton, with its eccentric characters and louche atmosphere, which Peter recalls at first-hand, provides a lively backdrop for the stories.

Peter began his career as a reporter on a local weekly newspaper before editing newspapers and magazines in London and, finally, becoming freelance. He has done most things in journalism from door-stepping for quotes to writing serious editorials. He’s pursued stories in locations as diverse as 700-feet down a coal mine and Buckingham Palace – and didn’t have to watch his back in either! Peter is a member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers’ Association.