Books
Returning Ripples.....
Part three of the Sandie Watson Trilogy
When the crew of the salvage vessel Sandie Watson are offered a free holiday on a luxury motor yacht, they can't believe their luck.
However, just two days into the trip, their world gets turned upside down when they collide with two unconnected adversaries from their past.
With multiple kidnappings and some heavily arned Russians to deal with, their dream holiday unexpectedly turns into a nightmare of monumental proportions, as the consequences of those previous encounters hurtles back to greet them.
The Story Behind the Book
This book is the third part of a trilogy and if you have now read all three, I hope you have enjoyed the exploits of the Sandie Watson’s crew.
As I was about halfway through writing the trilogy, I was already thinking about how to bring it all to a suitable climax and realised when reflecting on a conversation with a friend, that we all live within circles of friends and contacts.
If you are a builder for example, you will obviously know carpenters, plasterers, roofers etcetera etcetera. But alongside these people you may also know a good small business accountant, house cleaning companies, landscape gardeners and a mechanic who can fix your cement mixer when it fails to start.
This started me thinking about my own “circle” and I quickly realised that I actually know some very diverse people, who in turn have their own circles of friends who are likely to be equally miscellaneous?
Hence the connection between Anouska Petrov and the Baron, both wealthy people, both great entrepreneurs, but also both up for a little clandestine business on the side.
If you have a half hour to spare at some point, have a think about your circle, I think you will be surprised about some of the connections you will make!
Castle in the Hill......
Part two of the Sandie Watson Trilogy
An innocent action during the seemingly routine recovery of a grounded yacht, activates a tsunami of consequences against the crew of the salvage vessel, Sandie Watson.
Suddenly a London gangland boss and a wealthy German Baron are calling the shots, and the crew now find themselves part of an explosive rollercoaster of events, that sees them being hunted by two separate groups of extremely dangerous men.
With his house under siege, Duggan must make some tough calls and knows that even if they survive, the impact of what they’ve unwittingly got themselves embroiled in, could be potentially lifechanging.
The Story Behind the Book
Smuggling in the UK is thought to have begun in the late 13th century when Edward I placed taxes on exported wool, in order to raise money for his armies to go to war. Since then it has become commonplace around the world, with even the everyday man or woman, considering bringing that extra bottle of booze or perfume into the country after a holiday, along with their straw donkey and the huge sombrero hat!!!!!
I than began to realise there are many different reasons for smuggling goods, as well as ways to go about it. The bottom line however, is nearly always the same; greed.
I hope you enjoy reading this book which very much features on the "greed" aspect of smuggling.
Swallowed By The Sea...
Part one of the Sandie Watson Trilogy
How does a ship loaded with brand new cars disappear in a calm North Sea, without leaving any wreckage or crew, either dead or alive?
Nick, Jim and the crew of the salvage vessel Sandie Watson, are asked to investigate and quickly discover that something is very wrong. As they probe into what happened, they find with each step forward they are faced with more questions than answers.
The trail finally leads them into the shady world of a Russian Entrepreneur and a rogue ex SAS undercover agent, who even the Russian Mafia wouldn’t want to cross and suddenly one question dominates their investigation.
Will they get out of this alive?
The Story Behind the Book
This story came about after I stumbled across an article on-line about a Car transporter ship called the Tricolor, that sunk on the 14th December 2002, following a collision with another vessel.
Unfortunately she capsized at the point where shipping coming down the North Sea begin their turn into the English Channel, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The water at the site was just 30m deep and with the ships beam (width) at 32m she was now only barely submerged, making her a major hazard to shipping. She was Initially patrolled by a French maritime police vessel, a 195 foot patrol vessel (HMS Angelsey); two salvage vessels and also had three wreck buoys attached to her, but despite all this, she was hit the very next night.
They then added two additional patrol ships, six more buoys and a Racon warning transponder, which kept her safe for a few days, before she was struck again on the 1st January. The authorities acted quickly and over the next 18 months she was cut up and taken away.
Being a keen car man, my interest was initially piqued by the fact that it was loaded with 2871 high end vehicles (BMW's, Saabs, and Volvo's). The cargo alone being quoted at $100 million dollars!
Then of course there was the value of the vessel itself, all very expensive. This turned out to be the catalyst for the story and with a few twists, turns and unsavoury characters, Swallowed by the Sea came into being.