Former Worksop teacher publishes chilling crime novel

A former Worksop teacher who spent six years as Head of English at Portland School, now the site of Outwood Academy Portland, has published a chilling new historical crime novel inspired by some of Britain's most troubling wartime secrets.

David James Buckley, who worked at the school from 1998 to 2004, has released Surviving Angel, a murder mystery set in 1958 that draws on the controversial history of a British military intelligence interrogation centre in London.

 The book, which is his second novel, brings together his longstanding interest in history, his experience of writing for radio and newspapers, and an ambition to become a novelist that he eventually pursued after a lengthy career in education.

“Teaching literature was a large part of my working life and one ne of the things I always enjoyed was seeing how a book could open up a different world for pupils, whether it was through the characters, the setting or the questions the writer was asking,” Mr Buckley said.

“That enthusiasm for storytelling has stayed with me. Teaching English also makes you think carefully about what makes a story work. You spend years discussing novels and plays with young people, examining how writers create tension, develop characters and keep an audience interested.

“When I eventually began writing my own novels, I found myself thinking about many of those same questions, although putting them into practice is quite a different challenge.

 “With Surviving Angel, I wanted to create a mystery in which the reader gradually discovers that the events being investigated are connected to a much larger story. I'm particularly interested in the way ordinary people respond when circumstances place them under pressure, and Jim Bible's sense of responsibility makes him an interesting character to put in difficult situations.”

Set in 1958, Surviving Angel follows Acting Chief Inspector Jim Bible as he investigates the murder of a husband and wife found dead in their cottage, with their 11-year-old son initially missing. Working alongside Detective Sergeant Bill Ward, Bible begins to uncover connections between apparently unrelated incidents, and the investigation develops into a nationwide mystery involving wartime secrets and government cover-up.

The novel also explores the political and social tensions of 1958, including the emergence of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and concerns about National Service.

It’s a book which Mr Buckley hopes will also inspire other aspiring writers to show what they can do.

 “I had wanted to write a novel for a long time, but it wasn't until later in life that I really gave myself the opportunity to do it,” he adds. “Having now published a second book, I hope it might encourage other people who have an ambition they've put to one side to consider returning to it. There's no particular age at which you have to stop trying something new.”

 Surviving Angel is available now in paperback and on Kindle, for more information please visit www.davidjamesbuckley.com or www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H68LGXP4