Matt Johnson – författare

'Cognitive Dissident is an evocative, often sad, but properly fascinating story' Bob Stanley, Saint EtienneCognitive Dissident may begin in the music biography tradition, but it quickly becomes something deeper. Borne out of years of conversation and collaboration between Matt Johnson (the creative force behind THE THE) and writer Jason Wood (Executive Director at the BFI), it expands into a work that is philosophical, cultural, and socio-political in scope.The story traces Johnson's childhood growing up above one of East London's most famous pubs, his early international success in music, followed by his sudden disappearance for decades. Then in 2017, The Inertia Variations project brought about an extraordinary creative rebirth, leading to THE THE's return: The Comeback Special World Tour, live album and film, the release of Ensoulment - their first new album in 25 years - and the acclaimed Ensouled World Tour. Along the way, it illuminates Johnson's evolution from the post-punk DIY scene to his many collaborations with producers, musicians, and cultural icons, as well as the influence of literature, art, and cinema that has always shaped his vision.Through these conversations with Matt Johnson - a working-class auto-didact who achieved success and ultimately career control on his own terms - this book by extension is also a meditation on family, friendship, creativity, conservation, gentrification, geopolitics, love and loss.'Matt Johnson will always be the intrepid London boy with a music soul & and the man of many worlds with a writer's heart' Johnny Marr

Winner of the Book of the Year and Reader's Choice awards at the 2024 CrimeCon True Crime Awards. Highly commended at the same awards for Outstanding Investigative Reporting.Winner of the 2024 Capital Crime Fingerprint Award (True Crime).Shortlisted for the 2024 Crime Writers Association ALCS Gold Dagger for non-fiction.Behind one of the greatest tragedies in UK policing history lies an incredible political scandal'An important book, especially now' Lee Child'Espionage, betrayal, terrorism, corruption and murder. All the ingredients of a Le Carre novel, only it's real' Matthew Hall'A powerful and timely account' John Sutherland'Very well written and deeply researched . . . an account of a relentless search for justice. It has pride of place in my library' John Grieve CBE QPM former DAC MPS and former National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorist Investigations'Well-written, brilliantly researched, uplifting and yet, a truly shocking read.' DCI Colin Sutton (ret'd) Senior Investigating Officer, the Millie Dowler enquiryOn 17 April 1984, as demonstrators gathered outside the Libyan embassy in London, two gunmen lay in wait inside. At 10.18 a.m. automatic gunfire rained down on the protestors and WPC Yvonne Fletcher fell, mortally wounded.As his friend lay dying, PC John Murray made her a promise that he would not rest until those responsible had been brought to justice. Thirty-seven years would pass before he was able to fulfil that undertaking.While researching this moving account of one man's dogged pursuit of justice for a murdered colleague, Matt Johnson uncovered secret-service deals and government duplicity, all part of a plan to force an end to the National Union of Mineworkers' strike. He discovered the real reason Yvonne's killers were allowed to go free and how events that day led to thirty years of growing political control of policing, resulting in the disarray increasingly evident today.This compelling account pulls seemingly unconnected threads into a coherent - and shocking - whole. It provides startling insights into how decisions taken by our politicians and the actions of our intelligence agencies, supposedly in our best interests, may be anything but.

Optimize your talent by removing the obstacles in their path Capacity is a proven system for bringing the best out of your team-and yourself. Matt and Chris Johnson set the mark on how to succeed in the future with their energizing message, humorous stories and their generational differences. As the world speeds-up faster and faster, organizations and their people try to keep up. This pressure to do more with less has reached epidemic levels of concern and organizations are panicking on how to recruit, retain and attract the best talent for the future. Burnout, low engagement, and overwhelming stress are jeopardizing organizations’ ability to scale and win. As outdated performance models of the past crumble under pressure, Matt and Chris show you how to build and protect your most valuable asset—YOUR PEOPLE. What if you could beat the clock and expand your capacity by 6 hours per week? Or 11? Think about the organizational impact if your workforce were given fresh capacity to perform, lead, and grow. This book offers a clear, workable solution for organizations functioning in the real world: by paring it down to three performance pillars they must have to succeed—focus, energy, and drive. Ever organization sets initiatives, but many remain unfinished because their capacity to do so fails before it starts. This framework is different: these changes bring the type of benefits that cause transformation. Giving your people what they need makes buy-in irrelevant, and allows them to perform at their highest potential. Not only can it work, but it is the only thing that will work over the long term. By making your organization a great place to work, you retain your best talent and attract more like it. With dedicated resources, focus, sustainable effort, and comprehensive strategy, your top performers will be equipped to drive your organization to the top. Among Capacity’s Key Points: Learn what top performers need to produce their very best workDiscover the biggest factor influencing your team’s FOCUS, ENERGY and DRIVEPrevent burnout and stimulate innovation by allowing your people to have a bigger containerAdopt a strategy of expanding capacity to exceed your high-performance goalsDeeply personal, but organizational focused. Capacity is an engaging and even life changing book Capacity is the next big paradigm shift for the future of training and development—as we shift to the world of the knowledge worker, it is not information or talent that wins, it’s is whoever has the largest capacity that will win. Capacity is your secret weapon to winning the performance war.

'The most insightful book on branding of the last 20 years' Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of OgilvyNow, more than ever, your brand is either loved - or it's noise.In a world defined by digital products and immediate gratification, how can your brand stand out? When consumers can easily have anything, how can your brand be the one thing they can't live without?To rise to this challenge, brands must shape not just what consumers buy, but how they act, feel and connect. This requires a new perspective, one that goes beyond business and into the fundamentals of human behaviour.Branding that Means Business combines the latest business thinking with psychology, sociology, and anthropology to show that a brand can't serve a business unless it connects with people.Equipped with these human-based perspectives, you'll have the tools to create, enhance and distinguish your brand in new and impactful ways - and make it a must-have in the minds and lives of your consumers.

Royalty Protection Team officer Robert Finlay is looking forward to a quieter life, when two police officers are killed and their links to his own past becomes clear … putting everyone’s lives in danger. A startlingly authentic debut … first in a page-turning, searing new series.

Police Inspector Robert Finlay takes on a ruthless criminal gang, as he and his new partner Nina investigate a sex-trafficking ring … the second instalment in the addictive, searingly authentic Robert Finlay series.**NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER**‘Nothing is clear-cut in a gripping labyrinthine plot, which – despite thrills and spills aplenty – never falls short of believable’ David Young‘Terse, tense and vivid writing’ Peter James‘The magic mix of jeopardy, emotion and action. I could not put it down’ Louise Voss____________________Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed.Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered. Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay’s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all…Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy … and a shocking fate.Deadly Game is a stunning, terrifying and eye-opening thriller from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.____________________‘Utterly compelling and dripping with authenticity. This summer’s must-read thriller’ J S Law‘From the first page to the last, an authentic, magnetic and completely absorbing read’ Sir Ranulph Fiennes‘A genuine page-turner, very well written, and just flows from one scenario to the next. It is clear the author lived through these times and this is evident in knowledge and description. Excellent’ Ian Patrick‘It’s this normality about Finlay that appealed to me and kept me reading. The believability of the story. The authenticity’ Rebecca Bradley‘Gripping stuff’ New Welsh Review'Finlay’s first-person narrative voice is punchy and to the point, and the switching between him and the third person points of view carries the story along smoothly. Mention should be made of the interesting supporting cast that add layers of intrigue into the narrative and compels the reader to look out for these thrillers from Matt Johnson. Highly Recommended’ Shots Magazine‘This tense, edge-of-the-seat writing will keep fans frantically turning the pages as they race towards the conclusion’ Amanda Jennings‘A top-notch thriller with a dark heart and an emotional soul’ Liz Loves Books'Deadly Game combines spy thriller and police procedural extremely well and should certainly be destined for the shelves of anyone into their conspiracy thrillers' Crime Fiction Lover

When the author of a book about secret government operations goes missing – along with his agent, and the manuscript itself – Police Inspector Robert Finlay is thrust into a complex and terrifying investigation. The final instalment in a searingly authentic series.‘A taut, knife-edge thriller you won’t put down till the last full stop’ M R Hall‘Matt Johnson’s real-life experiences shine through in the vivid plotting and authentic action’ Rob Sinclair‘Another fast-moving and beautifully detailed page-turner from a master thriller writer’ Robert Daws____________________Robert Finlay has finally left his SAS past behind him and is settled into his new career as a detective, but when the author of a book about secret operations goes missing, along with his agent and an explosive new manuscript, it’s clear that Finlay’s troubles are far from over.With his friend and former colleague, Kevin Jones, in trouble, and police complaints branch gunning for them both, Robert teams up with MI5 agent Toni Fellowes to find out who’s behind the growing conspiracy. Their quest soon reveals a plot that goes to the very heart of the UK’s security services.End Game, the final part in the critically acclaimed Robert Finlay trilogy, sees our hero in an intricate and terrifyingly fast-paced race to uncover the truth and escape those who’d sooner have him dead than be exposed.____________________‘A compelling mix of highly credible detail, tactics, procedures, and all striated into the political games that the intelligence services play. Highly Recommended’ Shots Mag‘Gripping stuff’ New Welsh Review‘Matt Johnson is a brilliant new name in the world of thrillers’ Peter James‘This tense, edge-of-the-seat writing will keep fans frantically turning the pages as they race towards the conclusion’ Amanda Jennings‘Utterly compelling and dripping with authenticity’ J S Law‘Five shining gold stars of brilliant’ The Quiet Knitter‘Nothing is clear-cut in a gripping labyrinthine plot, which – despite thrills and spills aplenty – never falls short of believable’ David Young