One man's quest to get to the truth behind firefighters deaths

Before fire-fighter Jack Bartholomew can reveal the cause of his own and his colleagues’ cancer he is murdered, leaving his friend, marine artist, Adam Greene following the trail into a labyrinth of lies, secrets and conspiracy at the highest level.

IN COLD DAYLIGHT is set during the month of December. The idea for it came not this time from a location but from an overheard conversation. This particular conversation took place at the fire station where my husband was a fire fighter on Red Watch at Southsea in Portsmouth (he is retired now).

The watch were discussing the unusually high number of their colleagues who had sadly contracted cancer. Many believed the cancer was caused through exposure to hazardous chemicals in the line of duty but couldn't say which particular incident or series of incidents had triggered it. The link between cancer related deaths and fire fighters has still not been fully investigated or acknowledged in Britain but it has been researched and acknowledged elsewhere for example in the USA, Canada and Australia.

I decided to blend what I had overheard into a dramatic fictional plot, and thereby create a powerful novel, unaware at the time that a major International disaster on a massive scale 9/11 would be the catalyst to spark studies in the USA into this controversial area.

 In the mystery thriller IN COLD DAYLIGHT instead of featuring a brave fire-fighter hero I chose to tell the story through the eyes of a man who is the opposite. This is marine artist, Adam Greene's journey through overcoming depression, a nervous breakdown and leaning on the prop of his strong-willed, ambitious wife as much as discovering why his best friend, fire-fighter, Jack Bartholomew, was killed in the line of duty before he can reveal the cause of his own – and his colleagues’ cancer.

 In a cryptic message orchestrated before his untimely death, Jack has left a trail of clues that will lead Adam into a labyrinth of lies, secrets and government conspiracy exposing an environmental scandal that has resulted in the deaths of fire fighters.

It is one of my earliest novels and I was delighted when in 2008 it was shortlisted for the World Book Day Prize 2008.