Jack lives on the North Devon coast and in the West Sussex countryside with Mary his wife and Lucky, their black Labrador. His two children and four grandchildren live nearby. After a successful career in consultancy and marketing, he now writes novels full time, primarily from his home in Mortehoe.
A Black East Wind is his acclaimed first novel, the first in a series of the Webber-Ridd Agency cold case investigations set on the North Devon Coast. It is released on 28 July and is already generating interest in the West Country. Jack features on Pippa Quelch's BBC Radio Devon programme w/c 18 July 2022
This debut novel reflects his affinity with the land and seascapes and golf links of South West England and his keen interest in social history.
Author news
A Black East Wind is officially published on 28 July 2022 and I'm delighted to say there has already been significant interest from the community in North Devon where the novel is based. Independent booksellers have expressed strong support and the various book club members who have read an advance copy have posted some great reviews:
"Fact and fiction intertwined make this historical thriller a compelling read."
"Intrigue, suspense, mystery, love story - what's not to like?"
"An irresistible narrative that grabbed my attention from page one. More please Jack!"
"A beautifully crafted story set against the backdrop of American preparations for D-Day."
"Social history shines through this book evoking echoes of the past that resonate with the present."
"A brilliant debut novel up there with the best thriller writers of our day."
"A famous golf pro turned private investigator - is this a fictional first?"
Here's a short synopsis of this stand out historical thriller:
September 1943. Ten thousand American GIs descend on the North Devon coast to train for the D-Day landings, risking their lives by day, drinking and dancing by night. Hundreds die in the perilous amphibious exercises on the local beaches and in the Atlantic surf.
As the assault training intensifies, tensions rise between the local community and the Americans. A bitter rivalry develops between one GI and a British soldier over a local girl.
During the one and only joint exercise between British and American troops, just days before their departure for Normandy, that same GI is reported missing. His body is never found.
Three decades later, at the behest of her dying father, an investigative journalist, Amy Ridd, niece of the missing GI, arrives in Devon from Boston to find out the truth about her uncle's disappearance. She retains Nick Webber, a former golf pro turned private investigator to help solve a case colder than a New England January day.
Their investigation uncovers a tragic love story, corruption, murder and secrets buried deep in the US Embassy in London. They come face to face with the horrors of war, subterfuge and a psychopathic ex-soldier. They're shot at in the dunes, their car is vandalised, office and hotel room ransacked.
Someone is searching for the wartime diary they've discovered. Find that someone and they can achieve retribution thirty years in the waiting.