Author’s Note
From my earliest years I wanted to be a writer. I have always loved books and, as a boy, I simply consumed books. I used to cycle from my home in Reading to the library in Tilehurst once a week, without fail, to borrow and return books.
At least three books a week I got through.
I read everything from Homer to Tolkien. War stories, crime novels, science fiction — you name it. My favourite authors were Conan Doyle, then later, Ian Fleming. Action, adventure, and lots of authentic background — that’s what does it for me.
During my time in the police service I wrote hundreds of reports and thousands of statements. However, I did not get around to writing a novel until last year, during the pandemic, twenty years after I retired.
I wanted to write something that reflected da
