Salvation

by Raechel Turner (Introduction)

Overview

One shot to change history. One shot for lies and betrayal.

1917. A frontline, rat infested trench 200 yards short of the enemy. The men of the 2nd Rifle Battalion, East Riding Regiment, count down the hours before a suicidal charge across no-mans-land. In a last hour's card game, IOUs replace money, goods change hands, and a racehorse is won on the final flip of the cards. Mathew Hobbs' luck is short-lived. Nothing has any real value when death is imminent and the battlefield only yards away. Lying in no-mans-land, he assists his commanding officer only to be ordered to make one last shot; one that would lead to the death penalty if witnessed. Stretchered away, his injury a blighty one, sees him return home to an uncertain future but with the prospect of a new career.
Teenage sniper, Corporal Mathew Hobbs claims his prize, only to discover his CO, Major Peter Church, has survived his terrible injuries. Separated by wealth and position, an unlikely friendship and business partnership materialises; both invested in the trajectory of the racing career of a winning horse, Salvation. Months of training appear to be paying off until they cross the path and incur the wrath of crooked bookmaker, Manny Heanen. In an unexpected twist, their careers as horse trainers switches full circle and they find themselves tasked by a government minister with a mission that could risk both their lives and alter the course of the war. As the armistice approaches, the pair return to France, to a train carriage in a forest, where the most dastardly plan is executed. History could be made or could be altered, putting many more thousands of lives at risk. Mathew Hobbs may have made the biggest error by putting his trust in a man he thought he knew.

David Spear is at his best in this well-paced, evocative, suspenseful thriller, weaving a story of loss, revenge and betrayal amid the solitude of Yorkshire and the brutality of war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781916893726
Publisher:	Old Treacle Press Ltd
Publication date:	09/01/2023
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.78(d)

About the Author

David Spear is a seasoned writer with several books under his belt following retirement from life as a casino manager.

Now living in Brighton, he has developed a style of writing that draws on his experiences and travels.
His first published book, 'Our Man in Estepona' is a thrilling, funny take on the life of a retired detective drawn into investigating the death of a friend who, it turns out, was an operative in the secret services during the Thatcher premiership. The story follows DI Grainger and his sidekick, Debbie Glynn, take their lives in their hands as they unravel the mystery of a spiders web of spies and crooked cops.
David comments:
The inspiration to write this book had been swilling around in my head for years. When living in Brighton, I walked past the Grand Hotel, thirty five years ago, not many minutes before the bomb went off, decimating the building, it's intention to kill Maggie Thatcher. I always thought that the incident warranted a novel, but refrained - the IRA were not the people to cross either then or now. Now many years have passed, I decided to write 'Our Man in Estepona', a piece of fiction, after hearing stories and speculation from other people.
The novel explores the possibility that others were involved in a conspiracy at a high level of government.
The Debbie Glynn character adds to the fun of the novel with ironic commentary on life in London and Brighton as myself and my friends experienced it.
David followed up with Once Upon a Crime in August, a fantastic draw on his knowledge of poker and card sharps that follows the travails of Charlie, an expert in card marking, as he follows a trail of money on a government backed mission.
As he carries out his sting, the awful truth of his employment dawns on him and the race to save his life, and that of his sister, plays out across the world to the Caribbean.
He says:
Expelled from school before I could take exams, I immediately went into women's fashion as the swinging sixties swooped on London. My heart was elsewhere, so when offered a chance to train as a croupier, I positively grabbed it.
I started at the Metropole, Brighton in a career that took me to Ramsgate (not glamorous) then the West Indies, Stockholm, Yugoslavia, Athens and Kinshasa.
As I neared retirement, my desire to write took over.