Crispin's Seven reveals

  • I’ve always been fascinated by story plots. It started with Bible stories at kindergarten and progressed to History, which I taught for 38 years. Even an A level syllabus would be a hugely complex story to explore with students.
  • When watching a film or a TV series, I always sit working out how the story will progress. I just can’t stop myself. It can irritate my wife and would horrify cinema-goers, so I have to do it silently.
  • My father was a diplomat, so I was brought up in some dangerous and dramatic countries, including Lebanon, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. Some of the adventures were like real-life thrillers.
  • The current news is usually the best inspiration for my thriller plots, but I’ve also been lucky to hear some explosive gossip that never made it to the news media. Of course, such gossip has to be used very carefully, even in a work of fiction!
  • When drafting my books, all my readers / critics are women with strong opinions. They keep me in line.
  • I adore children’s illustrated books. As a young romantic, I used to invent new fairy tales based on Arthur Rackham illustrations but I also go for the ones I read to my three sons [Alan Ahlberg et al].
  • Music is a vital part of my life. I sing in a folk / shanty band, write songs and post some on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@crispinkeith8945/videos). I have a massive music collection.

About Shadow of a Shadow

Claustrophobia. Resentment. Paranoia. Murder.

H11 is an archive of state secrets so deadly it’s kept four floors below ground in MI5’s London HQ, completely isolated from the outside world and with no internet connection. It’s staffed by the oddballs and rejects from the spy service.

When Lydia Twomey, a bright, young MI5 officer – no fan of the public school and Oxbridge-educated male elite who run the agency – is sent down to H11 to investigate the suspicious death of one of the staff, she finds a claustrophobic world ruled over by the charismatic but controlling Gerard Bell. She’s quickly convinced that the ‘accident’ was murder and that one or more of the seven H11 staff were involved. After a second murder, Lydia becomes a target herself…

As the body count rises, it becomes clear that the stakes are much higher, and Lydia finds herself at the centre of a plot that could topple democracy in Britain.

Author Biography

Crispin Keith was born in Malta in 1952 and brought up in Beirut, Mogadishu, Damascus, Basra, Madrid, the New Forest, Benghazi and Sana’a. Crispin taught history for thirty-seven years. He started writing novels aged ten, followed by plays, teaching materials, biographies, short stories and songs. He sings in a band, has acted and released a successful album. Crispin lives on the Isle of Wight.

Shadow of A Shadow is out now

https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/book/551/shadow-of-a-shadow-9FzK/

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