Keith A Pearson is a bestselling British author of time travel fiction, comedy mysteries, magical realism, women’s fiction, and character-driven literary fiction. Since publishing his debut novel, The ’86 Fix, in 2016, he has sold in excess of one million copies across twenty novels. His books are published through his own imprint, Inchgate Publishing, and are available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. Every title is included in Kindle Unlimited.
Pearson’s work is characterised by a distinctive blend of humour, emotional depth, and speculative premises grounded in ordinary British life. His protagonists are typically flawed, relatable people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances — whether that’s travelling back in time, being visited by a mysterious stranger, or discovering something about themselves they never expected. Readers frequently cite his witty dialogue, well-constructed twists, and ability to balance laugh-out-loud comedy with genuine poignancy.
Early Life
Keith A Pearson was born in 1971 in Aldershot, Hampshire, and grew up in the neighbouring market town of Farnham, Surrey. In 1972, his family moved to a council estate on the outskirts of the town, where he lived in a terraced house with his parents and three brothers. Pearson’s upbringing was marked by financial hardship — his father worked as a porter for a removals company and his mother in a local café. He left school at sixteen, his father insisting that further education wasn’t for “folks like us.”
Before turning to writing, Pearson pursued a variety of careers including roles in sales, marketing, and property. He founded and ran a freelance marketing consultancy before selling the business in 2019 to write full-time.
The ’86 Fix and Breakthrough
Pearson’s writing career began on a bet. In December 2015, during Christmas drinks with friends, he declared he would write a novel as a New Year’s resolution. Six months later, having taught himself to write through trial and error, he completed the manuscript for The ’86 Fix — a time travel novel about a middle-aged man given the chance to return to 1986 and fix the mistakes of his youth. After receiving no response from literary agents, he published the book independently on Amazon in October 2016.
The ’86 Fix became an unexpected bestseller, driven largely by word of mouth and reader reviews. Its success launched Pearson’s career as a full-time author. He has since received offers from traditional publishers but has chosen to remain independent.
Novels and Series
Pearson has published twenty novels across several series and standalone titles. His work spans multiple genres, though the common thread is ordinary people colliding with extraordinary circumstances.
The ’86 Fix Series (2016–2017) — British time travel fiction set in the 1980s. The series comprises The ’86 Fix and Beyond Broadhall, following Craig Pelling’s attempts to rewrite his past. A standalone companion novel, Tuned Out (2019), is set in the same universe and follows a millennial transported back to 1969.
The Clement Series (2017–2020) — comedy mysteries featuring Clement, a politically incorrect former 1970s gangland fixer who claims he died in 1975 and now appears in people’s lives seeking redemption. The series comprises Who Sent Clement?, Wrong’un, Clawthorn, and Headcase. Clement is widely regarded as Pearson’s most popular character.
The Angel of Camden Series (2022–present) — a continuation of Clement’s story, set in Atlanta, Georgia. The series comprises Eminence and Terrier, with a third novel, Haverstock, planned for late 2026 which will see Clement return to London.
The Thunk Series (2018–2023) — comic novels featuring Mungo Thunk, a mysterious, enigmatic stranger who offers unorthodox therapy to people whose lives are falling apart. The series comprises Meeting Mungo Thunk and The Way We Thunk.
The Echo Lane Series (2024–present) — set in 1990 during the British recession, blending workplace comedy, romance, and a speculative twist involving a mysterious house on Echo Lane. The series comprises No Easy Deeds and The Fourth Clause, with further books planned.
Standalone Novels:
Kenneth (2019) — women’s fiction told in first person from the perspective of a freshly divorced woman, featuring a mysterious stranger. A Page in Your Diary (2020) — a time travel novel about guilt and atonement, in which a man travels back to 1988 to save the woman he once hurt. Terms May Apply (2020) — a cautionary tale about a man whose birthday wish comes true, blending magical realism with moral fable. Waiting in The Sky (2021) — a literary novel about a man who believes he is from another planet; widely compared to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Humans by Matt Haig. The Strange Appeal of Dougie Neil (2022) — a heartwarming underdog story with a twist ending. In Lieu of You (2023) — a time travel novel about a man offered the chance to erase his marriage by preventing himself from ever meeting his wife. The Last Stop Video Shop (2026) — a work of magical realism about a man who discovers a video shop that plays back unrecorded memories on VHS.
Writing Style
Pearson’s writing is marked by sharp, naturalistic dialogue, a dry wit, and an ability to make speculative premises feel grounded and believable. His novels typically feature a mysterious or unexplained element — time travel, a supernatural visitor, an impossible wish — but the focus is always on the characters and their emotional journeys rather than the mechanics of the premise.
He has cited the television writer John Sullivan (creator of Only Fools and Horses) and the author Bill Bryson as his primary influences — Sullivan for his ability to blend comedy with poignancy, and Bryson for his willingness to defy genre conventions and make the mundane compelling.
Recurring Themes
Across his catalogue, Pearson returns to several core themes: nostalgia and the desire to revisit the past; the consequences of the choices we make; mysterious figures who appear at pivotal moments and change people’s lives (Clement, Mungo Thunk, Kenneth, Edith Stimp, Mrs Weller, Edmund Wishkin); the gap between the life we imagined and the one we ended up with; and the question of whether it’s ever too late to change.
Further Information
Pearson’s full catalogue is available on his Books page. A guide to choosing a first book based on reading preferences is available here. He can be followed on Facebook and Twitter/X, and new release notifications are available via email.