Munichs : 'Absolutely gripping.' The Times, 'Best books of 2024'
(Autor) David PeaceOn the afternoon of February 6, 1958, British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on take-off at Munich Airport. On board were the young Manchester United team, the Champions of England, known as 'the Busby Babes', and the journalists who followed them, home and away. Twenty-one of the passengers were killed instantly, four were left fighting for their lives while six more were critically injured. Twenty-four hours later, Jimmy Murphy, the assistant manager of Manchester United, faced the press at the Rechts der Isar Hospital - 'What of the future, you ask? It will be a long, hard struggle. It took Matt Busby, Bert Whalley and myself twelve years to produce the 1958 Red Devils. It was long, hard, tiring work, but we succeeded. At the moment, I am so confused, so tired and so sad, I cannot think clearly, but what I do know is that the Red Devils will rise again.' Munichs is the story of how Manchester United did rise again, of the crash and its aftermath, of those who survived and those who did not, of how Britain and football changed, and how it did not; a novel of tragedy, but also of hope.
David Peace
David Peace is a British author known for his gritty crime novels that often explore real-life crimes and events. His most notable works include the Red Riding Quartet, which is a series of novels set in Yorkshire during the 1970s and 1980s, and "GB84," a novel about the 1984-85 miners' strike in Britain.
Peace's writing style is characterized by its dark and intense atmosphere, as well as its use of fragmented narrative and stream-of-consciousness techniques. He is known for his meticulous research and attention to detail, which adds a sense of realism to his work.
Peace's contributions to literature include pushing the boundaries of the crime genre and challenging traditional storytelling conventions. His work has been praised for its originality and boldness, and he has been recognized as a leading voice in contemporary British literature.
One of Peace's most famous works is "Nineteen Seventy-Four," the first novel in the Red Riding Quartet. This novel, along with the rest of the series, has been adapted into a successful television series, further solidifying Peace's reputation as a master of crime fiction.