Derek Thompson

LONG SHADOWS

Detective Craig Wild couldn’t cut it in London. Now he must swap the Met for Mayberry, a sleepy Wiltshire backwater where ambition goes to die. It was supposed to be a second chance, but it’s more like a last chance saloon. Then Wild is faced with the most baffling case of his career.

Eccentric farmer Alexander Porter lies dead in his own field, killed by a shotgun. It could be suicide, but where’s the gun? Determined to uncover the truth, Wild teams up with PC Marnie Olsen, whose abilities and ambitions exceed his own.

Many people have reason to want Porter dead, maybe even his own son. And just when Wild thinks he’s making headway someone else dies. Wild and Marnie must delve into the darkest corners of the community if they are to uncover the truth.
As Wild discovers, life in the countryside can be murder.

WEST COUNTRY MURDER

THE WEST COUNTRY CAN BE WILD.

A literary festival. A dead body. No fingerprints.

At first PC Marnie Olsen thinks the man in the car is asleep. But the lack of movement and strange tilt of the head are a dead giveaway.

The only clue is a book signed by local author Juliette Kimani, who is holding court at the Wiltshire literary festival.

This could be a real breakthrough. If only the writer wasn’t flatly denying ever having met the man . . .

Detective Craig Wild discovers that the victim was using a fake name. What did he have to hide?

If Wild can find the man’s real identity he might just crack this case. But first he must deal with some very dangerous people.

Detective Craig Wild will be pushed to his limits in this gripping crime mystery packed with twists and turns.

Perfect for fans of Helen. H. Durrant, Rachel McLean, L.J. Ross, Angela Marsons, J.D. Kirk or Biba Pearce.

STANDPOINT

Assignment: Customs & Excise
THE WRONG MAN IN THE RIGHT PLACE CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
Yorkshire born Thomas Bladen has lived a double-life in London for two years. On paper he’s a Civil Servant, but the Surveillance Support Unit has a much wider remit, loaned out to any government department that will have them. They’re known as floaters – it’s not a term of endearment.

Thomas has an eye for the details other people miss and a talent for finding trouble – a combination that has never brought him an easy life. When he investigates a shooting on a routine surveillance operation, he uncovers a conspiracy that people will kill to protect. Can a good man hold the line without crossing it?

LINE OF SIGHT 

Assignment: The British Army
A YOUNG WOMAN LIES DEAD AT AN ARMY BASE. WAS IT AN ACCIDENT?
When Amy Johanson is killed during a weapon test, Thomas Bladen and Karl McNeill are determined to expose the truth. To do that, they must protect Jess, their only witness, but she plays a dangerous game of seduction and lies. Thwarted by dangerous and powerful forces, can Thomas get justice for Amy and navigate the shifting sands of espionage, politics, big business, and the tragic mystery of Karl’s past?

CAUSE & EFFECT 

Assignment: Benefits Investigation Team
BLADEN TURNS DETECTIVE, BUT WHERE WILL IT END?
Two unconnected events – an attack on a child and a clinical assassination – confront Thomas with moral dilemmas. When his investigations converge and his day job encroaches into his freelance work, Thomas discovers uncomfortable truths about those who matter most and the Shadow State’s supply chain. But it’s what he doesn’t know that poses the greatest danger.

SHADOW STATE

Assignment: The Metropolitan Police
A STOLEN CAR WITH A BABY INSIDE IS THE LEAST OF BLADEN’S PROBLEMS.
Thomas Bladen faces hard choices when a Shadow State agent orders him to expose a defector or risk the lives of others. A stakeout becomes a rescue, an intervention leads to murder, and dark secrets come to light as Thomas and Karl play a dangerous game, turning the Shadow State against itself. But who is the real enemy and who will pay the ultimate price?

FLASHPOINT 

Assignment: The Security Service (MI5)
LONDON COMES UNDER ATTACK AND BLADEN’S LIFE IS FALLING APART.
As the security services scramble in the aftermath of a coordinated terror attack on London, undercover operative Thomas Bladen is in deep trouble. His department is taken over by MI5, his girlfriend’s gone, and he’s “lost” a handgun during unofficial surveillance of a politician. When two key SSU personnel disappear, Thomas Bladen chooses loyalty over protocol. Forced into a pact with an old adversary, what he discovers could change the rules forever.

Here’s a YouTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNmjP-o1IXg 

PATHFINDER

Assignment: The Security Service (MI5 / Rogue)

Surveillance Officer Thomas Bladen is back and he’s a man on a mission. 

THE SHADOW STATE AND THE ALLIANCE HAVE BEEN AT WAR FOR DECADES.

After seven dissidents meet to try and end the deadlock, they think their secret is safe.

They’re wrong.

A near-miss on the London Underground is just the beginning for a contract killer with friends in high places. When no one else can be trusted, the fate of seven people rests with Thomas, who will learn the hard way about the price of loyalty and the cost of failure. There is only one rule: stay alive.