Horsham writer pays tribute to inspirations
Horsham author Cliff Comber draws on the people who have inspired him for his latest novel. Deadly Deceit has been released by Austin Macauley (£11.99 paperback) and is available from the publishers, Waterstones, Amazon and many other online book retailers. Cliff, aged 69, said: “Deadly Deceit is a sequel to Running for His Lives. The idea behind both books was to write crime fiction novels to include many people that have inspired me throughout my life. “Being a long-serving police officer, I was able to use situations experienced by both my colleagues and myself, although many of the incidents have been modified to fit the narrative. I am also very fortunate to know two now retired paratroopers who feature heavily in the storylines.” In Deadly Deceit, Dennis ‘Dutch’ French, a former longserving and decorated soldier, is suspected by the police of killing five members of a vicious cartel responsible for both raping his wife, Melanie, and filming the harrowing event. To evade his arrest, the couple secure employment and flee to Venezuela. Following a further threat of revenge to his wife from the aggrieved cartel, it becomes necessary for him to end the danger once and for all. To do so and evade detection would need expert planning and cunning deceit for the couple to regain the peace that they both desire. Dutch hopes to have committed the perfect crimes… “My first book commences with the main character and gives a very close account of the unfortunate early life of my late friend Dennis Chopping. Following Dennis joining the army, his character morphs into one of the paratroopers, who after his wife is brutally assaulted sets out on a mission of revenge which escalates into a series of bloody encounters. Throughout the many dangerous situations, he gradually loses the nine lives that he believes he has been attributed. “I am not only pleased with the contents of the books, but also that I am able to mention so many people that have influenced my life and to dedicate the books to two late friends. By using some of my own thoughts and experiences, these books are similar to my own memoirs. “Both the first novel and this sequel, Deadly Deceit, will divide readers’ thoughts as to if the main character Dennis French is a hero, anti-hero or just a callous killer. “In my opinion both books will not only appeal to readers of crime fiction but also to members of both the police service and armed forces. “I was initially inspired to write a book as my late close friend Dennis Chopping was never officially recognised for all the years of voluntary work he did for the underprivileged children of Crawley. By doing this I felt that this was a way of acknowledging his efforts. “Having had a tough childhood himself, he was determined to help the less fortunate children in society. Before his demise he was able to give me an account of his early life, which is largely depicted in the first novel. Unfortunately, he passed away a week before the book was released. “Deadly Deceit is dedicated to another close friend, Tony Byrne, who, like Dennis, did not survive to see its publication. “Due to my love of music, I have unusually used popular song titles for each chapter and was fortunate enough that two top music presenters, David Hamilton and Graham Dene, kindly provided me with forewords.”