The Hack
International Crime Thriller
Why write this novel?
Some years ago I came across several articles about Operation Candyman and the most striking aspect was the scope of the investigation. Not just the sheer scale, with thousands of people under investigation, but more worryingly the alleged paedophiles represented all walks of life – judges and policemen included.
A while later I watched a UK TV documentary in which an investigative reporter surreptitiously followed a number of apparently respectable tourists in Thailand and filmed them enticing young street urchins to their rooms for sex.
Inspiration crystallised in my mind as I saw a fat American walking hand in hand with his young ‘purchase’ along a tropical beach...
The Hack is the result.
The exploitation of minors is a difficult subject to write about and generally not a popular one with readers. The original novel was turned down by many western agents before being picked up by a Bangkok publisher in 2006, but I believe it is an important and relevant topic, albeit an uncomfortable one.
For the current eBook edition I re-wrote the story, taking full account of reader feedback and professional editors’ advice, in the hope it might find a wider audience. I also redesigned the cover as the original one was not really indicative of the novel's content, I hope the current version is 'more attractive' and reflects the content more accurately.
Sex slaves exist
Most people are unaware that a vast trade in human beings still flourishes years after abolition – yet sex slaves can be found in most countries, even the ‘enlightened’ west.
The victims are invariably young and vulnerable, and the ruthless men (and it is mostly males) who exploit these people treat them as if they were of no more value than pieces of livestock. They accrue and horde vast wealth and use it to influence the authorities and to mask their activities.
In the Europe and the US people assume this problem only exists elsewhere, and books like the excellent Sex Slaves: The Trafficking of Women in Asia by Louise Brown certainly may give that impression.
The truth is that thousands of children in the 'civilized' west also join the list of long term missing each year, and there is little doubt that many are exploited by ruthless, corrupt individuals.
This is an ongoing problem, and I hope readers find this novel thought provoking as well as entertaining.
Operation Candyman
Although this is a work of fiction, the FBI operation and its UK equivalent, Operation Ore, resulted in many real life convictions.
However, in the US, a large proportion of the accused were exonerated as many credit card transactions were not exclusively related to the purchase of child pornography, and there were irregularities in evidence gathering etc. This led to a dearth of convictions, but in the UK the prosecutors were more successful.
That may well change as many have been appealing their convictions in an attempt to clear their names.
Even so, the sheer number of people who were netted by the original investigation suggests these were just the tip of a very big iceberg.
Theme
The story is really not about paedophilia.
The strand that runs through the novel relates to deception and the masks that people wear in their day to day roles.
Every character is dissembling to some degree, and I may be a little cynical but I believe this to be is an accurate reflection of real life.
The original title, The Death of Innocence, relates to Johnny as a metaphor for the loss of childlike innocence, something we all go through as we grow up. I had to change the title because I discovered a website had sprouted up after I published and I was not happy to be mistakenly linked with their content.
The new title strikes me as equally fitting as it describes an aspect of each of the three main characters:
Kate is a news hack, Johnny is a computer hack, and Doug/Hunter's signature?
A hacked neck.
Read the opening pages of The Hack with these retailers!
Amazon UK, Amazon US, Apple, Nook & Kobo
Some years ago I came across several articles about Operation Candyman and the most striking aspect was the scope of the investigation. Not just the sheer scale, with thousands of people under investigation, but more worryingly the alleged paedophiles represented all walks of life – judges and policemen included.
A while later I watched a UK TV documentary in which an investigative reporter surreptitiously followed a number of apparently respectable tourists in Thailand and filmed them enticing young street urchins to their rooms for sex.
Inspiration crystallised in my mind as I saw a fat American walking hand in hand with his young ‘purchase’ along a tropical beach...
The Hack is the result.
The exploitation of minors is a difficult subject to write about and generally not a popular one with readers. The original novel was turned down by many western agents before being picked up by a Bangkok publisher in 2006, but I believe it is an important and relevant topic, albeit an uncomfortable one.
For the current eBook edition I re-wrote the story, taking full account of reader feedback and professional editors’ advice, in the hope it might find a wider audience. I also redesigned the cover as the original one was not really indicative of the novel's content, I hope the current version is 'more attractive' and reflects the content more accurately.
Sex slaves exist
Most people are unaware that a vast trade in human beings still flourishes years after abolition – yet sex slaves can be found in most countries, even the ‘enlightened’ west.
The victims are invariably young and vulnerable, and the ruthless men (and it is mostly males) who exploit these people treat them as if they were of no more value than pieces of livestock. They accrue and horde vast wealth and use it to influence the authorities and to mask their activities.
In the Europe and the US people assume this problem only exists elsewhere, and books like the excellent Sex Slaves: The Trafficking of Women in Asia by Louise Brown certainly may give that impression.
The truth is that thousands of children in the 'civilized' west also join the list of long term missing each year, and there is little doubt that many are exploited by ruthless, corrupt individuals.
This is an ongoing problem, and I hope readers find this novel thought provoking as well as entertaining.
Operation Candyman
Although this is a work of fiction, the FBI operation and its UK equivalent, Operation Ore, resulted in many real life convictions.
However, in the US, a large proportion of the accused were exonerated as many credit card transactions were not exclusively related to the purchase of child pornography, and there were irregularities in evidence gathering etc. This led to a dearth of convictions, but in the UK the prosecutors were more successful.
That may well change as many have been appealing their convictions in an attempt to clear their names.
Even so, the sheer number of people who were netted by the original investigation suggests these were just the tip of a very big iceberg.
Theme
The story is really not about paedophilia.
The strand that runs through the novel relates to deception and the masks that people wear in their day to day roles.
Every character is dissembling to some degree, and I may be a little cynical but I believe this to be is an accurate reflection of real life.
The original title, The Death of Innocence, relates to Johnny as a metaphor for the loss of childlike innocence, something we all go through as we grow up. I had to change the title because I discovered a website had sprouted up after I published and I was not happy to be mistakenly linked with their content.
The new title strikes me as equally fitting as it describes an aspect of each of the three main characters:
Kate is a news hack, Johnny is a computer hack, and Doug/Hunter's signature?
A hacked neck.
Read the opening pages of The Hack with these retailers!
Amazon UK, Amazon US, Apple, Nook & Kobo
Read it already?
If you enjoyed The Hack, you can now read the sequel - The Hunter.
You might also like to join my Readers Group for exclusive insights and backstory - only available to Members.
If you enjoyed The Hack, you can now read the sequel - The Hunter.
You might also like to join my Readers Group for exclusive insights and backstory - only available to Members.
About me
For more about me and my thoughts on writing fiction click the link above.
If you'd like to know more about my gripping British Crime Thrillers,
The Remorseless Trilogy,
please head to Remorseless
I also host a unique true crime/crime fiction website with a focus on:
Psychopaths in Fact and Fiction
As the name suggests, this site includes information on real life as well as fictional characters with these extremely anti-social personalities.
For more about me and my thoughts on writing fiction click the link above.
If you'd like to know more about my gripping British Crime Thrillers,
The Remorseless Trilogy,
please head to Remorseless
I also host a unique true crime/crime fiction website with a focus on:
Psychopaths in Fact and Fiction
As the name suggests, this site includes information on real life as well as fictional characters with these extremely anti-social personalities.
