I was born in Ormskirk, grew up in Melling and educated by Irish Christian Brothers in nearby Liverpool. I then went to Birmingham University where I studied Medicine, ending up many years later, working as a Consultant Physician in the Black Country. Following my retirement, I returned to the classroom, earning myself a BA (Hons) in Literature from the Open University. I have always been fascinated by events that took place at the beginning of the twentieth century. Aristocratic dominance in both rural and urban areas was on the wane. The House of Lords lost their power of veto. The educated middle classes were gradually taking over the running of the country. The Labour Party was formed, the suffragettes were wreaking havoc and the Irish were fighting for their independence. Britain had the biggest empire the world had ever seen. Germany had become one nation, dominated by the Prussian aristocracy who desperately wanted a navy and an empire to match the British. So I decided to write a novel about it. My main characters are fictitious but nearly all of the events I describe actually took place. It is mainly concerned with espionage and counter-espionage around the time MI5 and MI6 were formed. It is my first attempt at writing a novel.