The Failsafe Query
The Failsafe Query is a gripping thriller set in the contemporary world of modern British espionage.
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Sean Richardson, a disgraced former intelligence agent, is tasked to lead a team to search for Alfie Chapman, an Intelligence officer on the cusp of exposing thousands of secrets to the media. This includes a long lost list of Russian moles embedded since the Cold War, one of whom remains a public favourite in the British parliamentary system.
The action moves with absorbing pace and intrigue across Central Asia and Europe as the puzzle begins to unfold through a deep hidden legacy.
Tense, fast paced, and insightful, The Failsafe Query twists and turns to a satisfyingly dramatic finale.
The action moves with absorbing pace and intrigue across Central Asia and Europe as the puzzle begins to unfold through a deep hidden legacy.
Tense, fast paced, and insightful, The Failsafe Query twists and turns to a satisfyingly dramatic finale.
The theme on WWBB is all devoted to the character, and today Michael Jenkins discusses his character Sean Richardson from The Failsafe Query
The main character, Sean, is a complex individual forged from his many life experiences - his traumas, his loves, his loyalty, and his sense of duty – even if he has to kill. The complexity of his character shows his empathetic side, but equally, he is able to switch to a ruthless side to get the job done. He thinks a lot. He considers his options. His wisdom and experiences tell him ‘this is the right thing to do’ - but on occasion, his risk-taking side tells him he should bend the rules and go beyond the established boundaries to achieve his aims.
Sean grew up with a tough father, worked on building sites and frequented tough east London pubs, before being groomed for a career in military intelligence. His chosen career was successful, but as the years passed by, he found himself more and more involved in the dark arts of espionage. Sucked into the killing, the denial operations, and having a number of enemies always on his tail. Then he crashed and burned.
Sean is often conflicted, often a dreamer – having his own desires which were often in reach, only to be snatched away at the last moment. Such experiences and traumas have made him a cautious but driven man, a survivor against all the odds. Unsure of his own destiny, he knows he has left death and destruction in his way, but always feels he has done the right thing for his service to crown and country. But that loyalty is forever being tested by the duplicity he uncovers within central government and the seditious nature of many of the officers and departments he had to serve. The more he uncovers, the more he has a sense of betrayal – to himself and his nation - but how far can he continue in his chosen career he never really knows. He feels trapped. Trapped by the adrenalin, the adventure, the sense of making a difference. He is everything that real counter-terrorist and intelligence officers deal with – he is often gentle and kind, polite and understanding – but equally, he has a brutal side for those who have betrayed him, or where violence is needed to achieve the aim.
Sean is based on three individuals I had the honour to serve with – each of them had very specific characteristics and behaviours, and I blended those into Sean to make him the complex operator he is. Charismatic, gregarious, honourable, a killer, a smart operator, wise and sharp, but often conflicted with his inner turmoil and the trauma he carries – those traumas, he places in a drawer, and only allows each of those drawers to open if absolutely needed – when he is deep in thought. His way of coping is to generally keep them all closed.
Sean is a lover of risk, but also a man of culture – he loves painting and is an accomplished artist. He loves to travel and the cultures of the countries he visits. He likes solitude, but equally, he relishes the time he has with his mates whether at work or having a few beers with them.
His hidden desire is for a simple, quiet life with a loving wife and children. But circumstances collide against him time and time again. Now he is trying to find a future and a way to his dreams. His friend can see he’ll make it – somehow and someway, and they’ll always be there backing him when the chips are down, and he thinks he has failed. They see him as human. Wise, respectful, tough, full of fortitude and vigour – and above all else loyal to the people he trusts. They will follow him anywhere as their leader.
There is much more to come from Sean, and while his backstory has been partially told in the novel, there is much more to him than meets the eye, as there is with any friend you begin to learn about over time.
About the author Michael Jenkins
His experiences within the services involved extensive travel and adventure while on operations, and also on many major mountaineering and exploration expeditions that he led or was involved in.
He was awarded the Geographic Medal by the Royal geographical society for mountain exploration and served on the screening committee of the Mount Everest Foundation charity.
He was awarded the MBE on leaving the armed forces in 2007 for his services to counterterrorism.
The Failsafe Query is Michael’s first novel. He has started work on his second spy thriller, The Kompromat Kill, and hopes to publish in the spring of 2019.
Giveaway – Win 5 x PB copies of The Failsafe Query & a spy
linkage map (unframed)
(Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days, then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, except the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for the fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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