Clandestine, page 21
Vagabond Martineau’s lethal stick-fighting techniques owe much to the works of W.E. Fairbairn in his seminal WW2 manual – All-In-Fighting – as well as the baton techniques taught by John Styers, US Marine Corps, in his book, Cold Steel.
Death Race
Nothing is more misunderstood than that of the role of the Close Protection Operative, or bodyguard as they are usually better known.
I wanted Death Race to be a pure action story (good guys up against the clock and being hunted by faceless assassins) that involved fast cars, guns, combat and danger! But I also wanted to take the opportunity to give the reader an idea of what is like to operate within a Close Protection team at street level. And how it can all go wrong at any given moment!
Contrary to popular belief, Close Protection work isn’t all glamour and jumping in and out of vehicles at high speed (although there is a bit of that from time to time), but more the reality of the planning, level of professionalism and attention to detail that goes with running a protective team.
Then, of course, there came the moral conundrum; should a bodyguard work for someone who is a criminal? Is it ethical? Is it in the bodyguard’s code to protect someone evil? Or is it just a job and that level of professionalism absolves you of any moral obligation?
These were big questions that I’ve thought about over the years. I even asked several of my colleagues their opinions. We didn’t actually arrive at a consensus about how we viewed it.
So for this story I decided to keep my protagonist, Clive, in the dark about the true nature of the CP contract, plus I like the fact that it is the Security Driver and not the Close Protection Officer who is the hero and manages to save the day against all the odds.
The Increment Man
This story started off as one thing (futuristic assassin tale???) that got scrapped and then went through several versions, none of which I liked, so it got unceremoniously binned!
Eventually, I pulled the best bits back from extinction and found a way to tell a tale that would give the reader a hard-boiled action thriller set in Belfast, which is a city that I’ve visited often and enjoyed immensely, plus it also gives the reader a snapshot of what it is like to operate as a freelance intelligence operative in the modern theatre of operations.
As a bonus, I took the liberty of inserting a sneak peek at the protagonist of my next book – The Fisherman – to tie it all up neatly.
The Watcher
If you’ve ever had to watch a target on a surveillance task for any length of time, you quickly realise how utterly bizarre the whole process is and how rapidly the mind can play tricks on you. When I was younger, it was exciting and because it is what we were trained to do, we wanted to test out our skills against real-life targets. As I get older, like most jobs, you tend to look at it as humdrum and with jaded eyes.
You get to know the target, sometimes more intimately than you would really like to. You get to know how they think and act, sometimes before they even do anything. You learn to understand them and yes, on occasion, you even fall in love with them a little.
I’ve been in the same place as Danny (Call Sign Delta-One) more times than I care to remember. It’s usually in a vehicle, sometimes in a building, but also on the street, blending in and trying not to be seen. Sometimes you are solo, but mostly you are with a team. Each situation presents its own challenges, and it was while I was on such a task that I had the idea for this short story.
What would happen if I (or any covert surveillance operator) saw something that was about to happen, that perhaps we could prevent. Would we break cover and intervene? Would we stick to our rules of engagement, or would we do the right thing and stop it from happening? Thankfully, I have never been in that position… but well done to Danny for saving the day and hopefully finding true love in the process.
Mr Palmer’s Extraordinary Retirement Plan
The fall of Communism and the breaking up of the Soviet Empire in the late 1980s was one of the biggest episodes throughout the Cold War. For the intelligence and security services, it was a game-changer of epic proportions. Everything had to be re-thought, former enemies had to be negotiated with in a civilised manner and allegiances shifted. It was the era of openness and change, real or imagined.
But what of the soldiers still behind enemy lines? What of the KGB sleeper agents that were deeply embedded in the West? Wouldn’t they have to be recalled? Wasn’t their mission now over and defunct?
So I imagined a KGB deep cover officer who had actually fallen in love with the country that he was spying on – its land, its people, its mindset – and what he would do to continue the lifestyle that he had enjoyed for decades (minus one horrendous spouse, of course), and so Mr Palmer’s Extraordinary Retirement Plan was born.
A Very Dangerous Affair
I have always loved Rome as a setting for a thriller, just as I love it as a city when I have been there. There is vibrancy to it that I’ve never found anywhere else in the world, that mixture of history, sophistication and class. I’ve used it as a location in several of my books – A Game for Assassins and Berlin Reload – and if I could, I’d do a research trip as often as I could. I’m still trying to convince my publisher to fund these research trips for me (so far, he isn’t biting!).
There is also something mysterious and sexy about two strangers meeting at a bar; both attractive, both on opposite sides of the divide, but both trying to outwit each other. Put the combination together and you have the perfect recipe for a highly erotic mystery/thriller with a twist.
After all, and as everyone knows, spying and sex sells!
…Love, Nikita x
This story owes its roots to the Ian Fleming, James Bond story, The Spy Who Loved Me. Take no notice of the hotch-potch movie about submarines and all that nonsense, the book is actually a nice little crime noir thriller set in a hotel and told from the perspective of a female protagonist (Bond doesn’t even make an appearance till half way through) and out of all the Fleming books, it is the one that is dismissed and much underrated on a regular basis.
The people who act that way don’t know what they are talking about in my opinion. It is an excellent book. Give me any medium – book, movie, play, real life – where you have a bunch of strangers trapped together in a situation and I’m sold instantly.
I had originally planned for Nikita to make an appearance in the last Gorilla Grant novel – Berlin Reload. I had written out scenes, dialogue, back-story; the whole nine yards. But something wasn’t right, and, without being cruel to a character that I absolutely love – no, I adore her – she was just in the way!
Finally, it occurred to me that Berlin Reload was a story about a father finding and protecting his children. That was the main focus. And because Nikita was such a big character, a big personality, she was overshadowing what was happening with the rest of the characters in the story. It became more about her and not about Gorilla, Katy and Peter. So she had to go. And in truth that saddened me (but George R.R. Martin would have been proud of me for culling her so ruthlessly).
Then… somewhere in the back of my mind I had an idea; I would bring her back in some way. She deserved that, she was too good a character to waste. So I had an idea for a novella, giving Nikita her own story! But when that didn’t pan out, either, I waited until this short story collection became a reality.
I love this little story. It is a love letter, from the heart, to one of my favourite characters and I’m happy that she finally found her way home, after so much loss and pain, to the people who loved her the most; her family.
Acknowledgments
To Eleanor Kelly, talented musician, for educating me on the nuances of the classical guitar and introducing me to the beauty of the music that she plays. I would wholeheartedly urge you to check out Eleanor’s website and videos. They can be found at: http://www.eleanorguitar.com/
Major Duncan at the MOD, and to the staff at various government departments, for ensuring that I didn’t breach any laws or confidences.
The staff at Wirral Archives and Liverpool Reference Library.
To the artists that kindly donated the images in Clandestine. Thank you all.
Miss H. Jackson for all her fantastic work in researching the locations for Vagabond.
To my editor, the wonderful Lorna Read who stopped me from making schoolboy errors and for taking Clandestine to the next level. Thank you.
Miika Hannila and the team at Next Chapter for all their fantastic work in bringing the books to life and for getting them out there to the readers.
About the Author
James Quinn is the author of the "Gorilla Grant" series of spy novels. A professional security consultant and corporate intelligence operative, he currently resides in the UK but likes to travel extensively around the globe.
To learn more about James Quinn, visit his author page on Next Chapter’s website.
James Quinn, Clandestine
