Former South Shields police officer goes back to his roots for new novel

David L Thompson grew up in South Shields during the 1950s and 60s. Now 69, the former police officer and drugs education officer has set his latest thrilling novel during four momentous months of 1963 in his home town.

Shadows of Shields, which has already attracted a string of five-star reviews from fans, takes readers through a story against the backdrop of the wrecking of the Adelfotis II on Herd Sands, the death of Labour leader Hugh Gaitskill, the Aldermaston marches and even the Beeching report.

David, who got the original idea for Shadows of Shields while walking the beat as a young police officer, said: “Shadows of Shields is set in the North Eastern seaside town of South Shields in 1963.

“It charts the life of Sebastian Crawley from January 1 to April 30, and describes his relationship with an intelligent, posh girlfriend and the situations that envelope Sebastian’s family. The story is completely fictional but uses real events as its backdrop.

“All of the events have been researched mainly by looking through the microfiche records of the local newspaper, the Shields Gazette, which are housed at the local library.”

After joining the police at the age of 20, David’s first posting was to South Shields in 1971.

Although now living nearby in Boldon Colliery, the seaside town where he first walked the beat remains influential in his writing.

In what is to be the first of a series of books featuring South Shields, market trader turned hero Sebastian Crawley, David’s protagonist, has to deal with a misogynist police sergeant and a local crime gang – The Sand Dancers.

David has already drafted two sequels, which take Sebastian through May to August and then the remainder of 1963, which have the Great Train Robbery, the Cooper-v-Cassius Clay fight, and the assassination of John F Kennedy as backdrops for Sebastian’s adventures.

Shadows of Shields is David’s fourth novel, having previously released Forever Feeding Ducks in 2013, Two Different Worlds in 2015, and The Lovelace Paradox earlier this year.

The book is available from Amazon.

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