{"title":"Books by Kim Hughes","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781471156724","title":"Painting the Sand","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Breathtaking. Kim Hughes is the man who stands between us and oblivion.' \u003cb\u003eAndy McNab \u003c\/b\u003e(author of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBravo Two Zero\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'An uplifting and enlightening account of the personal courage and dedication required to do a very lonely job in the most extreme of conditions'. \u003cb\u003eJohn Nichol \u003c\/b\u003e(\u003ci\u003eThe Mail On Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This is a book about science, bombs, and what happens to the human psyche when every day you go to work might be your last.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Kim Hughes is the most highly decorated bomb disposal operator serving in the British Army. He was awarded the \u003cb\u003eGeorge Cross\u003c\/b\u003e in 2009 following a grueling six-month tour of duty in \u003cb\u003eAfghanistan \u003c\/b\u003eduring which he defused \u003cb\u003e119 improvised explosive devices\u003c\/b\u003e, survived numerous Taliban ambushes and endured a close encounter with the Secretary of State for Defence. The back drop to \u003ci\u003ePainting the Sand \u003c\/i\u003eis the \u003cb\u003eAfghan War\u003c\/b\u003e, the conflict where the cold courage of the bomb disposal operator rose to national prominence. No other field of warfare offers the chance of a single individual to come so close to his enemy and fight out a battle of wits where losing can mean death. This is one of the best memoirs that will come out of a ten-year struggle to defeat a hidden, and enduring, enemy.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300001657205,"sku":"9781471156724","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781471156724_8d385869-57e3-42ec-9a42-1288b2d00a7a.jpg?v=1786021022"},{"product_id":"9781471183638","title":"Operation Black Key","description":"\u003cb\u003ePerfect for fans of Ollie Ollerton, Andy McNab and Stephen Leather - the new compulsive thriller from \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller and bomb-disposal expert,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eKim Hughes GC.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e THE ENEMY IS CLOSE TO HOME . . .\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Left reeling from the disappearance of his daughter and ex-wife, Staff Sergeant Dom Riley is a haunted man. After months of investigating, he has exhausted nearly all leads in his hunt for answers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As Riley decides to make one final, desperate push for the truth, it emerges that multiple bombs have been located on board a civilian cruise ship and he is thrown into action in the middle of the ocean.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With little information on the person behind the threat other than the alias BaseHeart, Riley must keep his head together if he has any chance of neutralizing the threat. And it’s not long until the first bomb detonates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But it’s not the journey, nor the bombs themselves, that pose the real danger. In fact, in travelling halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, Riley will ultimately learn that the enemy is much closer to home . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR KIM HUGHES GC\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ‘A taut thriller that seizes your attention from the first page’ \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Express\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘A terrific start to a new series . . . Light the blue touch paper and retire to a comfortable chair’ \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘A powerful tale from an author who knows his stuff. Addictively compelling, you’ll be reading into the small hours’ \u003cb\u003eAlan McDermott, author of the Eva Driscoll thrillers\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘Gripping . . . The plot beautifully twists several parallel and intertwining story-lines together, at pace. There is a bit of something for everyone here: military detail, spy conspiracy, dastardly terrorist plot and the pieces of the jigsaw all fall into place nicely. Thoroughly recommended’ \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eArmy Rumour Service\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘Kim Hughes is the man who stands between us and oblivion'\u003cb\u003e Andy McNab, author of \u003ci\u003eBravo Two Zero\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301005537653,"sku":"9781471183638","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781471183638_08067dc7-c7e3-4bcc-9d4f-96d6fd832426.jpg?v=1786020822"},{"product_id":"9781471183591","title":"Operation Certain Death","description":"\u003cb\u003ePerfect for fans of Ollie Ollerton, Andy McNab and Mark 'Billy' Billingham - a breathless, edge-of-your-seat thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author and bomb disposal expert, Kim Hughes GC. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘A terrific start to a new series . . . Light the blue touch paper and retire to a comfortable chair’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ‘A taut thriller that seizes your attention from the first page’ \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Express\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‘A powerful tale from an author who knows his stuff. Addictively compelling, you’ll be reading into the small hours’ \u003cb\u003eAlan McDermott, author of \u003ci\u003eFight to Survive\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHE THOUGHT HE'D LEFT THE WAR BEHIND. BUT IT'S COME HOME WITH HIM. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A bomb explodes in a newly designed shopping complex, ripping through the lives of everyone in its wake. Confirmed as a targeted terrorist attack, special units are quickly brought in to lock down the area.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For bomb-disposal expert, \u003cb\u003eStaff Sergeant Dominic Riley\u003c\/b\u003e, Afghanistan never feels far away and that’s especially true on the morning of the bombing. And it's only just beginning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The bomb-maker has bigger plans in place, designed for maximum destruction. Plans that are personal to Riley - and his family. And he has no qualms about how many innocent bystanders are caught in the firestorm. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But our fate is in the hands of a man who has his own demons to face. And they might just push him over the edge . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE 2021\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Kim's memoir \u003ci\u003ePainting the Sand\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Breathtaking. Kim Hughes is the man who stands between us and oblivion' \u003cb\u003eAndy McNab\u003c\/b\u003e (author of \u003ci\u003eBravo Two Zero\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'An uplifting and enlightening account of the personal courage and dedication required to do a very lonely job in the most extreme of conditions' \u003cb\u003eJohn Nichol \u003c\/b\u003e(\u003ci\u003eThe Mail On Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e)","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301005930869,"sku":"9781471183591","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781471183591_0b4a878d-72cb-4ad2-b4f9-e9dd7b4250aa.jpg?v=1786020821"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-kim-hughes.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}