Posted: Thursday 30th May 2019
Crime author Chris Danson moved to Hertfordshire from London with his family in 2015. His novel Dead in 10 is the first in a series of thrillers following the crime-solving exploits of Jay Trent, a young detective in the Met Police's sport's crime department.
'I wanted to write a book with an exciting and unusual context for crime fiction fans. The sport’s very much in the background - I love developing characters, and I leave it to the reader to judge their motivations.'
The story opens in Berlin, with the German police asking Trent to help investigate a fallout between a pair of rival athletes. Trent is up for promotion, and spots an opportunity to gain credit with his boss. His pursuit of the truth, however, suggests more sinister forces at work, after he’s invited to a glamorous event in Monaco by a woman he shouldn’t trust. What he sees there - and who he meets - casts doubt on everything he’s learned so far. Someone isn’t telling the truth. Deciphering the relationship between the pair of testosterone-fulled sprinters, a model-turned-charity-ambassador and the web of managers, doctors and agents pulling strings seems key to revealing a greater conspiracy - if there is one at all. And if Trent can resist the temptation to get too close.
Readers have called the action ‘fast and furious’, with other locations including an exclusive harbour resort, a gentile Suffolk village and a thrilling car chase through an East London wasteland.
Before moving to the county, Chris worked in digital publishing for many years, including a decade at The Guardian and stints at HarperCollins and the advertising group WPP. Since then he has met many readers (and aspiring writers!) at local events, including at an author day at Harpenden library.
'It's great meeting people keen to talk about the novel and my writing process. Herts Libraries have been particularly supportive; I’ve two young children who are already appreciating the value of libraries - Toddler Tales at Croxley Library is a favourite.'
The sequel to Dead in 10 finds Jay Trent in the midst of another crisis abroad - this time in New York.
‘It’s certainly darker. After a grim discovery, Trent realises he won’t be flying home quite as soon as he’d planned. The story uncovers the corruption in the grassroots basketball scene, where kids from the poorest neighbourhoods are caught in a web between sportswear brands dangling million-dollar promises, a ruthless college system and greedy coaches wanting their slice of the pie. Researching how young, talents kids are recruited, and how ripe they are for exploitation, has been fascinating. Can Jay Trent see his way through it all? You’ll have to wait and see!’
Dead in 10 is available from the Herts Libraries collection. You can find out more about Chris at www.chrisdanson.com