Böcker av Mike Scantlebury

The General Election of 2015 is tearing the country apart, dividing friends and family, colleagues and workers. Up north, in Salford, the rivalry is even worse, aided and abetted by a series of terrorist outrages that has everyone on their toes. What is going on? Why are they being targeted? Only Mickey and Melia seem to have the ability to answer the questions, even though they aren't even close at the moment. They each have their own assignments. Mickey is on a canal barge, heavily disguised, working his way close to local politicians. Melia meanwhile, has been delegated to work with the Canadian Navy, temporarily berthed in Salford Docks with an enormous submarine. Why are they there? They have brought a present for the British government, they say, but seem surprisingly reluctant to hand it over. Melia wants to ditch the responsibility, and might have done, but for a rather attractive Lieutenant, who is taking up all her attention. Maybe, after all, Mickey will lose his place in her affections. Disaster!

It's only an old church, isn't it? Well, No, the Church of England has abandoned the old building and taken it out of commission. Even though it was designed by one of the foremost Victorian architects, they'd be happy to see it rot, or, perhaps, turned into designer flats by a local property developer.Until that happens, it's a perfect Safe House, a bolt hole for the man Mickey has promised to protect - a man called Lucky. So 'lucky' that he's the target of three local gangs and numerous villains. How lucky is that?His problem, from the point of view of safety, is that he has recently been the lucky winner of several million of pounds of Lottery money. That attracts a lot of attention, and once the news gets out that he's in residence, all kinds of experts and enthusiasts turn up, hoping to see the distinguished building brought back into use. That would be a happy outcome.But if the gangs get their way, there will be nothing but trouble. They like to fight, and Lucky is right in their cross-hairs.

It's a busy year. Mickey is called in to help an old friend, but he's hardly got started when he gets another commission. And another. What's going on? Is it all because the BBC has decided to move its North of England headquarters to Salford Quays, and suddenly the whole world wants something from them?Mickey, confused, frustrated, has to struggle, as the months go by, to make sense of what is happening in his home city, how it is changing, and how it is being forced to change. Not everyone seems happy with the process, not even the BBC, whose members are slowly coming to terms with the fact that though the streets of Salford are outside the windows of their new, glossy buildings, they really have no idea what is happening down there and who these residents really are. Or what they're capable of.

Britain is in the middle of a huge political upheaval. A Referendum has been called with a simple Yes/No question: should the United Kingdom stay in Europe, or cut links and float off into the ocean? Passions are running high and national security is at risk. Those charged with protecting lives and property, such as Mickey's unit, the WSB, are stretched to the limit, fighting existing terrorists as well as some new, unexpected threats. Meanwhile, the pressure from Europe is only part of the day-to-day problems, with interest from other international allies and rivals, like the USA and China, Japan and Russia.Captain Gibson, struggling to field a full team, is forced to press some of his desk jockeys into action, inexperienced people like his Deputy. Happily, he could be useful, though. He was at school in Hong Kong and met the Reverend Umh, now returned to the UK on business. If only Mickey was around more, all would be well.

Who wants healthy, clean, renewable power in Britain? Not the government. They want to re-start a stalled programme of rebuilding nuclear power stations. Curiously, some residents are out to stop them.Poor secret agent Mickey finds himself caught in the middle, with only one thing on his mind. He is determined to try and catch whoever killed his colleague. He is thinking little about politics.This time it's personal.

Mickey and the team are called in to another adventure, but this time it's weird. There's a ship that's been wrecked in the Bristol Channel, but it's two thousand years old and the jars it was carrying hold secrets, vital secrets that could threaten the future of the Christian Church.Is that why people are willing to spy, shoot and kidnap in order to suppress the words that are listed in the containers?In a desperate race to decode the scrolls and save them from attackers, Mickey organises an escape around the leafy lanes of England, trying to stay one step ahead of the terrorists and two steps ahead of other interested parties - a selfish billionaire, an outraged Archbishop, one or two mad monks and the Heir to the English Crown.Who needs that sort of attention?If only Mickey could rely on his team, but the rag-tag bag of people who want to 'help' him include a policeman, some scientists and a person who could be a spy.That's his job!Mickey needs all his resources, his skill, his tenacity.

Melia is suffering from the fact that her boyfriend Mickey is out of town, sent away on a secret mission, according to her boss. She's on her own, left to pick up a favour he promised to a friend, to meet with the woman's ex-husband and see if their marriage can't be saved. It's a mundane matter, far removed from Melia's day job as a Secret Agent. Just her bad luck, then, that she is on hand to witness a murder, taking place at that most unlikely setting, an arts centre on the renovated banks of the River Irwell in Salford. What lofty heights such a setting promises, and what depths of depravity it delivers. Melia is shocked to find evidence of corruption and double-dealing, forgery and fraud. She is swept along by a tide of wickedness, and then another attempted murder forces her to re-consider again; is she out of her depth? Are the murky waters of the river merely concealing worse things than she ever thought possible? Is it time to leave? If only she could: it isn't easy, once you've been kidnapped.