Writers are generally divided into two camps in how they deal with the difficult task of coming up with an idea for a book and then how to attack the job of getting the words down.
We are either known as “plotters,” which is kind of self-explanatory, as in you plot all the story out, you know the story beats, and you know how it ends.
Or.. we can be what is known in the trade as “pantsers,” which of course isn’t a word. However, it basically means you write by the “seat of your pants.” Sounds great, right?
So, as a dedicated “pantser,” mind I decided when planning the 7th Max Craigie novel I would change how I work, and come up with a cogent plot before I started typing onto the blank word document.
But what? I’ve written about, drug runners, corrupt cops, long-term missing people, and even a psychotic serial killer stalking the Scottish Highlands. Then it hit me. Espionage. I’m a huge fan of spy novels, but really, as an ex-cop, police procedurals are where my expertise lies. Could I mix the two?
You bet I could, but what’s the angle that links the words of counter-espionage, and modern policing in Scotland? So, I did what I always do. I stared into space, and hoped. It’s not that proactive, but it’s a thing, and so far, I’ve been lucky. Something would show up.
And it did!
Real life came to the rescue, with a shocking and high-profile case that hit the news right when I needed it. On the 20th March 2024 a large fire was set using an accelerant at a warehouse in East London. Eight fire appliances were required along with 60 firefighters to quell the blaze, which caused in excess of £1.4 million in damage.
But this was a factory with a difference. This premises was storing property and aid that was bound for Ukrainian forces engaged in the blood-soaked war that was still raging on that continent.
Not an insurance job. Not revenge. Not even wanton damage for damage’s sake, which we see plenty of. This was an attack commissioned by the proscribed Russian state proxy Wagner Group but carried out by a group of petty London criminals in exchange for comparatively modest sums of cash.
The ringleader Dylan Earl, a petty criminal from London made contact with the Wagner group by joining a broadcast channel on the social messaging application Telegram.
He began chatting with two account handles called ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike.’ Earl knew that these accounts were supportive of Russia, and he accepted an offer of money to undertake operations, the first of which as the East London factory attack.
His Co-conspirator Jake Reeves had helped Earl recruit a group of men, all petty criminals involved in drug supply to carry out the arson.
After the group’s arrests, the whole plot was essentially uncovered by their communications on secure messaging sites where they openly talked of working for Wagner, and the sums they were being paid. None of the group had ever received training, nor travelled to Russia. They were just useful idiots. Petty criminals willing to be exploited in exchange for cash, who are now all serving long prison sentences.
This is hardly Le Carre, is it? I mean, where are the gadgets? Where are the double-agents?
So what had changed?
The reality is that operational nature of Russian intelligence operations has changed. The world has changed, and it was two distinct events which propagated this.
The poisoning of Sergei, and Yulia Skripal by deploying the weapons grade nerve-agent Novichok on British soil in Salisbury in 2018. This caused a massive response from the UK by the expulsion of 153 Russian “diplomats,” by the end of 2018.
The next incident was a little more explosive.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia’s ability to propagate operational activity was severely compromised firstly by the lack of agents working undercover in Embassies, and secondly because of how the world has changing. Everyone now has a digital footprint. It’s harder to work covertly in a hostile foreign state in a perpetually online world.
So, the use of the criminal proxy model is attractive for a number of reasons.
Firstly, a low-level petty criminal is cheap. The sums in the Dylan Earl case were comparatively modest. £2-3, 000 to torch a factory.
Russia no doubt could carry out these acts with agents of the GRU, as they did in Salisbury. Or, for less money, and less risk, they could deploy useful idiots, who they never even have to meet.
As a writer, this is manna from heaven, serious though it is. Espionage is no longer the preserve of a suave guy in a dinner suit, driving an Aston Martin. It could be the 17-year-old hoodie-wearing yob from a rough estate in inner London.
So, the sixth in the DS Max Craigie series, The Dark Heart was born. It’s a story that opens with a car bomb in York, when a renowned is killed in a devastating explosion in York, authorities quickly attribute the attack to Islamic extremists. But as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. Are dark forces really trying to sow division in the UK, and if so, why?
The Dark Heart by Neil Lancaster. (HarperCollins Publishers) Out Now
A deadly bombing. When renowned author Dr. Daniel Solomon is killed in a devastating explosion in York, authorities quickly attribute the attack to Islamic extremists. But as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. A dark conspiracy. DS Max Craigie uncovers a chilling connection between a series of brutal murders, each victim linked by a secret that someone is determined to protect. A dangerous game. With the number of victims growing and an elusive figure known as The Cashier operating in the shadows, Max must navigate a web of corruption and hatred. Can he unravel the truth before more lives are lost?
More information can be found on his website. He can also be found on Facebook @NeilLancasterCrime. On Instagram @neil_lancaster_crime and on X @neillancaster66
.jpg)
