Blair Casey

I thought I would share with you how "Tides of Deceit: A Burleigh Heads Thriller" came into being. It is not the first one I have written. In fact, there have been two others many years ago under a pen name. This was more to do with me testing the waters of Indie publishing and giving friends and family something entertaining to read. But the backstory within “Tides of Deceit” was the initial story I wrote. It started out as an assignment (we had to write the first few chapters of a novel) as I was studying writing at university.

“Tides of Deceit: A Burleigh Heads Thriller” was born due to a series of real events that occurred in my hometown, Burleigh Heads, on the Gold Coast in Australia. It was on Australia Day (similar to Canada Day and Independence Day) when a group of intoxicated teenagers decided to run rampant through the small coastal town. They were jumping on cars and causing fights in the central business district and on the beach. It brought a lot of unwanted attention to the Gold Coast, and the local Assistant Commissioner for the Police, who oversaw the area, declared that all the offenders would be placed before the courts. A local politician also pledged a Police Beat will be established in Burleigh Heads. The site chosen was on council land directly opposite the headland, one of the best surfing spots in Australia if not the world.

When I and a few other officers heard this news, we were prepared to give up hard-earned spots as detectives to jump ship, put the uniform back on, and become Police Beat Officers. I had grown up surfing on the Gold Coast and could not think of a better-paying job. Unfortunately, the Police Beat never did eventuate - nothing more than a hollow political promise. But the idea stuck with me, and I decided to make it into a novel about five years ago. Life then got in the way, and after starting the story, I shelved it until four months ago. Finding I was missing writing, I decided to pick it back up and finish it off. The goal now is to develop my writing so I can progressively taper off policing. I’ve only got another ten years, and then I’m out to pasture.

There are a few characters in “Tides of Deceit,” and these have been developed from my experiences. Some have a number of different personalities woven into them from attributes of actual people I have come across in my policing days. Let me name just a few and tell you about them.

Sergeant Dillon Todd is based on a close friend of mine who passed away many years ago. He was a great detective. My departed colleague’s physical attributes are portrayed in the novel, and also the tenacious attitude Todd displays. Todd will develop more in the sequel (“Owen’s Gambit”), and even though he is the main character, at times I do feel that he takes a step back when other characters come to light.

Senior Constable Anthony Drake. I loved writing and developing him. Drake is based on a good friend of mine, who is now out of the police service. He was a member of the current tactical team I run and originally a country cop from Victoria in Australia. He always had these colloquial sayings whenever we worked together. Most times we laughed a lot through the shift, and we became great mates.

Marilyn Donahue – or aptly named Don’t-Argue-Donahue is also based on a number of administrative officers I worked with when I was freshly out of the academy and in my first and second years as a uniform constable. Some twenty-two years ago. One woman was gruff and did not take crap from anybody, and she could drink most coppers under the table. Others would treat you like a child, in a jovial way, and scold and reprimand you when you didn’t take care of your exhibits or attend to their request for internal reports. What every officer secretly tries to avoid doing. But they always had a soft side, if you took the time to get to know them, and this is how Donahue is going to evolve.

And I’m going to end with Superintendent Hatfield. The schemer and wannabe politician. As within any organisation, there are going to be those who will always attempt to climb the corporate ladder. And some will do it in an underhanded way. Hatfield is one such person. He is based on a number of senior officers I have come across, so it was not hard to develop his character, and I enjoyed his role immensely in the novel, especially when his demise occurs. He is a character I wanted the reader to hate. To cheer when he comes to an end.

The sequel coming is “Tides of Deceit: Owen’s Deadly Gambit.” It is a third way done, and I’m loving writing this story. It does look at the juvenile problem we currently have in Australia and how it has become a game for teenagers to commit burglaries to then steal high-end cars. A few of the characters from the previous novel really develop, particularly Jeff Beecham, but two new ones are introduced which will carry into the third and fourth novels and may even take a course of their own. Introducing Elijah and Finn Mead. Two islander brothers who have come from the trawler fishing grounds of Port Lincoln in South Australia. The area is renowned for its seafood, Great White sharks, and agriculture of wheat and barley farms. A hard cold country known for breeding its local’s tuff and ruff. The Mead brothers are lured by Derrick Sampson (our underworld figure known as Uncle) into the dangerous game of drug supply.

Well, there you have it, folks. I hope you enjoy the first of the “Tides of Deceit” series. Remember – the good guys always win. To be continued…….