Spy Chaser

Thomas Bladen #1-3

by Derek Thompson

Three gripping spy thrillers set in a shadowy unit of the British government. Everything Thomas cares about is at stake, including the woman he loves.

For the first time ever, the three best-selling books featuring Thomas Bladen are available in one edition.
Follow Thomas Bladen’s heart-stopping journey to uncover the truth. It all starts when during a routine operation he sees a shooting which will expose a world of corruption and danger. When his on-again, off-again girlfriend Miranda is drawn into the conspiracy, Thomas must decide who he can trust to help him save her life.

In book two, when Amy Johanson is killed during a weapons test, Thomas and his partner Karl are determined to get to the bottom of what happened. But they are thwarted by dangerous and powerful forces. Thomas’s girlfriend Miranda and her family are once again put in harm’s way. Can Thomas get justice for Amy while navigating the shifting sands of espionage, big business, and the mystery of Karl’s past?

In book three, just when Thomas thought things had settled down, Miranda’s father calls in a favour. Thomas must investigate an attack on the loved one of a drug dealer. As he delves deeper he finds out the truth about Miranda’s past and his investigation will take him to the heart of the shadow state and endanger everyone Thomas cares about.

If you like John le Carré, Robert Harris or Ken Follett novels you will be gripped by this compelling espionage thriller trilogy

THESE BOOKS WERE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS STANDPOINT, LINE OF SIGHT, AND CAUSE & EFFECT

798 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2016

About the author

Derek is a British author of novels and short fiction.

The Complete Thomas Bladen Spy Thrillers boxset, published by Joffe Books, comprises: STANDPOINT, LINE OF SIGHT, CAUSE & EFFECT, SHADOW STATE, and FLASHPOINT.

Book 6, PATHFINDER, is by Sixpence Publishing.

DS Wild Crime Mysteries published by Joffe Books:
1. LONG SHADOWS
2. WEST COUNTRY MURDER
3. DEATH IN WILTSHIRE

INTO THE VOID is a collection of short fiction by Sixpence Publishing.

Reviews

THOMAS BLADEN SPY THRILLERS
"Realistic rather than glitzy. This story did not disappoint with its gritty detail and credible characters. Kept me hooked right to the end. Great writing!" VC

DS WILD CRIME MYSTERIES
"...Slid down like a beer at the end of a hard day... engaging and entertaining story that kept me in suspense. A good balance of male & female characters, well written and believable." Helenmx5

Reviews

[Maria Logan-Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spy Chaser is the first of a series of three enthralling novels penned by Derek Thompson about a covert operations group in the British government. The action starts quickly when Thomas Bladen, of the UK’s Surveillance Support Unit, currently loaned out to British customs, sees suspicious activity, then witnesses a shooting, all within a few minutes.

After seeing a co-worker in a place he shouldn’t have been, Thomas’s suspicions increase. As he grows more unsure daily of whom to trust, Thomas is sent on assignment, and becomes more apprehensive. Thompson keeps the reader hooked with twists and turns of plot. Even the head of the agency is suspect, for trying to create Churchill’s “United States of Europe”, and for conspiring with some unsavory types.

The characters come to life with vivid descriptions such as Sheryl whose “…trademark chewing gum punctuated their journey.…” I could see Thomas’s parents in my mind: dad, the grouchy curmudgeon, mom, the enabler.

I especially appreciate it when authors include public health information in their characters’ conversations, or have the narrators make such comments. In Spy Chaser, Thomas circumvented a group of college girls “…slowly smoking themselves to death.” Later the narrator commented that “…a woman arrived and commenced… trying to poison her kid with cigarette smoke….”

If you enjoy British spy novels, or any spy novels, pick up a copy of Spy Chaser. You will soon find yourself chasing bad guys.

What Make This Reviewer Grumpy?

• Using the word “further” in place of “farther” – a common mistake, but they are not interchangeable. Further refers to more of something, while farther refers to distance;
• Misplacement of the word “only” within sentences;
• Beginning sentences with conjunctions “and” and “but”;
• Using “anyways” instead of “anyway”.
• Using the phrase “try and” rather than “try to”.

Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

[Rosemary Bointon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Bladen is a bit of an anti-hero, the bloke from down the road, who always gets dragged into things by someone else. His alcoholic dad taught him to be afraid, but he finds the strength to do the right thing by his friends, usually. Not that he has many friends, just Ajit, who Thomas rescued at school and who is now a policeman. Then there is his on-off girlfriend, Miranda, who is slick as paint, and runs a bar in the East End. He rescued her too and was welcomed into her family who live on the edge, where he is not sure he wants to be. But it is his photographer's eye which gets him a job in surveillance from the shadowy Sir Peter whom he met in a lift.

Is it his new pal from work, Karl, with his dodgy Army contacts, who drags him into the more criminal side of "surveillance" or is he set up by the boss, Sir Peter? Who is on Thomas' side and who is using him as the fall guy as he is dragged into drug dealing, benefit fraud, unscrupulous arms deals and departmental double dealing, all set against hints of deeper and dirtier European conspiracies. How can he stop Miranda and her family from being dragged into the quagmire Karl is leading him through? Thomas wants to do the right thing, but what is it?

These books are compelling reading. They aren't just good spy stories: I loved the observations of the cities, London's East End and York, and of nature, Thomas' framing of trees and wildlife. I loved that he is clueless about his girlfriend Miranda but doggedly loves her. I loved that Thomas wants to act despite his nightmares and doubts.

I was thrilled that there was another book waiting after I had read the first one and even more thrilled about the third after I had read the second one. Thomas' story isn't finished yet. Now I'd like to read the next one so was delighted to read on Derek's blog that he is starting on it.