I left the police after thirty-one years as a detective inspector in charge of a Special Ops undercover drug unit which receive national acclaim. I served on CID, murder enquires, drug squads, the Regional Crime Squad and the National Crime Squad (which became the National Crime Agency). I set up the first dedicated informant unit at divisional level in the north before ending my time at Special Ops.

After doing some private work, I turned to my lifelong need to write.

After having published nine crime procedurals, a chat with my publisher about ‘What next?’ led me in a different direction. Richard at Sharpe Books was encouraging me to write something historical. Initially, I had no idea how, but soon realised just how wide the scope was. Anything from the recent past until when Adam was a lad.

I settled on the 1980s set in Northern Ireland for two reasons: one, I lived through that decade so have my own recollections to draw from, and two, because I have always been fascinated with Northern Ireland, ‘So I have’.

As an ex Special Ops, Detective Inspector all my previous novels in three different series – with one standalone – have drawn heavily from my time in the police. I have nothing but admiration for other crime fiction writers who were not in the police, and have to do such a lot of research.

But now it was my turn to do the hard yards! And wow did I enjoy it. It was really refreshing to dig into the history of that wonderful province during its most challenging of times.

I even ended up having a conversation – albeit brief – with an ex Provisional IRA terrorist, which was quite unique.

My next problem was how to transfer my experiences and writing skills effectively.

I realised that so many skills and techniques used in covert investigations by the police, were used by the SAS in 1980s Northern Ireland. In fact, Billy Billingham recently had a programme on BBC1 titled SAS: Catching Criminals, which explores and emphasises this.

My new series started after the Brighton Bombing when the Prime Minister wanted a fresh approach to taking on the terrorists. A new SAS Troop is formed, but with an MI5 officer attached to it, rather than just directing it.

Captain Vernon Jackson leads the troop, and I soon realised he is so similar in many ways to a detective. WITH PREJUDICE set in 1985 is the first of this new trilogy of novels, and is just as much a thriller as my police procedurals were. Murder, whether politically motivated or not, is still murder. It’s still a crime thriller in essence, but with espionage and military added, hopefully, to good effect. The second in the series SHOOT TO KILL is a follow up but can also be read as a standalone. It continues the dangerous work of Red Troop three years later, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

I’ve also enjoyed writing in the past, which for me was a first: I had to be careful about what was, and was not available at the time, especially, with regards technology. No mobile phones in 1985; though they were emerging in 1988.

I’m thankful to my publisher for encouraging me in a different direction, and pleased to find the similarities from my previous writing which I could use.

But the only opinion that matters is yours.

Roger A. Price.