Station Calling Coastguard

‘Station Calling Coastguard.’ is a modern-day crime story with a central theme, which revolves round murder, smuggling, drugs and arms dealing.

Set mainly in and around North Yorkshire, UK, it centres on the Coastguard Service but embraces, as an integral part, the Anti-terrorist organisations, the Drug Squad, Customs and Excise, the Army, the RUC and the Police. Each of these organisations, as they become drawn in, are graphically detailed to illustrate their involvement and inter-relationships and to demonstrate how they are all, supposedly, working in the interests of National Security.

Two investigators, Mel and Fred (Winifred), from the Special Investigations Branch of the Coastguard Service are despatched with a brief to investigate the disappearance of a Coastguard Officer in unusual circumstances. Their in-depth searching leads not only to murder, but overlaps with and brings in, and uncovers, some of the complex methods currently and recently used for the smuggling of arms and the importation of drugs into the United Kingdom and their associated distribution networks. Many similar operations are still currently in effect today.

The book tells how the people involved interact, collaborate, interfere, obstruct and concern themselves with their own personal glory. There is a psychological profile of many of the characters so the uninitiated gain insight into how easy it is to become involved in terrorism and other highly illegal activities and how hard it is to escape or break free.

The closeness that develops between the two main characters, the result of their circumstances, leads to some intimate moments and throughout there is a strong theme of tastefully, detailed, amorous and sexual encounters which adds spice and titillation.

Many novels, which use National Security, illegal arms and drug dealing and the Secret Services, as their basis, have already been written and no doubt that trend will continue. But this could possibly be the first time one with actual true and factually based events, which have all occurred in recent times and with which the reader will readily identify; for at the time they actually took place they caused a major sensation when reported on TV and in the National Press.

The whole story has been embellished with humour and minor digressions to make it enjoyable and attractive to as wide an audience as possible. Told simply, the book contains no complex jargon to confuse or mislead the reader and although the saga is satisfactorily concluded, it is left so that, if necessary the two principal characters can be ‘resurrected’ for future ‘adventures.’

Much of the content and the theme behind the novel are based on the authors’ personal experience following many years in the Coastguard Service.