It all came about four years ago. I'd met a rather clever chap on Myspace (what became of that?) called Nick Donald (what became of him?) We found we had a lot in common, a love of a good thriller, an infatuation with the 1960s and a desire to write. So that's just what we did, and in 2009 we wrote two back to back 60s set thrillers under the mysterious pen name Manik (Mark and Nick see?) entitled Guido's Children and Summer Of Hate both concerning Jonathan Strange, Special Branch's counter culture expert known as The Psychedelic Policeman.
Here's the gist of each novel.
Guido's Children - London. October 1968. Civil unrest and violent demonstrations is overthrowing the original notion of peace and love amongst the young. Britain's Security Services are thrown into confusion by the emergence of cryptic messages all over the swinging capital from a group known only as Guido's Children. But who or what are they? Detective Inspector Jonathan Strange - known throughout Special Branch as The Psychedelic Policeman due to his affinity with 1960s popular culture - is dispatched to investigate, and finds a link between the messages and a mysterious death in one of the countries top public schools. With help from beautiful psychologist Dr Samantha Chase, Strange stumbles across murder and treachery dating back thousands of years culminating in a grand scheme to topple Britain's old order in a bloodthirsty coup. A love letter to the 60s, Guido's Children takes us into the heart of Swinging London and shows the seedy, bloody underbelly of a British seat of learning.
Summer Of Hate - London, August 1969. A balmy summer is not the only thing hotting up in the final throes of the swinging decade. There is also conflict. It is conflict that threatens to shatter, irrevocably, the hopes of a generation for peace and love...When an anonymous phone call claims responsibility for a number of random acts of violent terrorism, Britain's police force is thrown into panic. Detective Inspector Jonathan Strange soon realises he is facing his toughest challenge yet, as old friends and colleagues get caught in the firing line. Reuniting with half French/half Scottish psychologist Dr Samantha Chase, Strange finds himself on a journey on violence and deceit that stretches from the capital to a remote Scottish island and a sinister commune known as Wonderwall.
It was The Avengers meets Bond Meets Doomwatch meets Ipcress meets anything that was worth watching in the 60s with cameos from such people as John Ridge, John Peel, The Magical Mystery Tour's Wendy Winters and even Blue Peter's John, Valerie, Peter and Shep (!) to name but a few.
We self published via Lulu and sold on their and on both Amazon, UK and US. We even got some good reviews and feedback too. A third was planned, but the steam went. As did the initial print run and now the books are no longer in print. If you did buy them, and a few did, keep a hold of them. They're as rare as rocking horse shite now. I myself only have one copy of each.
