This page offers some background information about the RYAN KERREK series. The books introduce a new protagonist into the world established by the STATION HELIX books. The stories take place approximately two years after the conclusion of the first series and feature many of the same characters.

Ryan Kerrek’s story was always going to be told as an arc across several novels, but I didn’t know how many books it would take. I didn’t start writing until I had distilled the story into four parts. This series required careful plotting, and I didn’t publish the books until they were all done in case I needed to make adjustments.

I’ve always devised outlines before starting my manuscripts, but this series reinforced the need for me to do so. I won’t start writing a book until I have the main beats worked out and am satisfied that the story is worth months of my time. I hand write notes, scribble revisions and test ideas first. Only then will I start typing.

As is usual for me, I endeavoured to use interesting locations in these books. The scenery varies a lot, from the streets of London to the Norwegian fjords, and the heart of Texas to the depths of the Egyptian Red Sea. I learned from Peter May’s novels that landscape can become a character in itself and adds interest to the books.

Cornwall features in the RYAN KERREK books and serves as the protagonist’s home county. I first went to Cornwall as a child and have returned several times over the years. Kerrek’s discomfort in a city environment is influenced by his upbringing in the rural West Country landscape. The betrayal theme is comparably disorientating.

In SINISTER BETRAYAL, Ryan Kerrek has a meeting at the Tristan Bates Theatre. I included it because I saw my friend Clare perform there in two plays. The Bread & Roses pub in Clapham is also mentioned in the book during a surveillance operation. It has a tiny theatre above the bar and I saw my friend Jenny in a play there.

The first link to the STATION HELIX series occurs in SINISTER BETRAYAL when Chris Loner and Ruth Arazi show up at a critical moment. Their unexpected appearance emphasises how events are out of Kerrek’s control, thereby setting the tone for the rest of the book. Counter-terrorism is introduced for the first time in my books here.

The RYAN KERREK books are contemporary thrillers, but DEADLY ACQUISITION has links to high adventure in the Second World War and the old enemy of the Cold War. Having enjoyed the WWII thrillers of Jack Higgins and Alistair MacLean, I wanted to find a way to touch on historical themes. And the Russia problem hasn’t gone away.

The Egyptian elements of BLACK SCARAB come from personal experience. I worked for a short time as a divemaster in Hurghada. The shopkeepers in the book, Metwally and Ahmed, are named after the dive guides I stayed with. The dive boat in the book, Noor (meaning light), shares her name with the boat I worked on.

The TV series SPOOKS has been an influence on my novels from the beginning, so it was inevitable that I would choose to write conspiracy thrillers involving spies and assassins. It’s such fun territory to explore because it is fiction on the murky borders of reality. I’m always delighted when readers believe my stories could happen.

The final book in the series, HUNTING CARACAL, is where a number of themes converge and the treachery which imperilled Kerrek is finally pulled apart and resolved in that merciless style that thriller fans enjoy. It’s really only in the last minute that Kerrek resolves the life-threatening problem that has haunted him from the first book.

Although the RYAN KERREK books are closely linked to the STATION HELIX novels, the writing style is different. I didn’t feel the need to use such short chapters. It’s often said that thrillers need to have pace, but that’s not strictly true. Pace is achieved more by structure than content. It’s actually the least critical aspect of a book.

Perhaps that sounds counter-intuitive, but characterisation, conflict, plot and jeopardy are far more important. A Desmond Bagley or Eric Ambler story still far surpasses the average slick modern novel. I enjoy contemporary American thrillers enormously, but classic British thrillers are the benchmark I strive to emulate.