William Hanna Author Interview

The Grim Reaper follows Mike who’s reporting on the crimes of security companies when he goes too far and becomes the target. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?

On 16 October 2017, Daphne Caruana Galizia — a Maltese journalist, writer, and anti-corruption activist — was killed when bomb placed in her car exploded. Daphne was one of those few courageous journalists who despite repeated threats against her life, refused to be silenced.

Mike is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind his character development?

The organisation Reporters Without Borders revealed that in 2017 two journalists were missing, 54 were being held hostage, 65 were killed, and 326 were detained. Democracy is not possible without a free press.

This novel has a focus on private security companies operating in war zones and third world countries. What kind of research did you undertake to ensure the accuracy of the subject matter?

Apart form information available on the internet, I obtained further details on PMSCs from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under The Freedom of Information Act; spent a week in Hereford — the hub for UK PMSCs — interviewing former and current PMSC personnel: and covered the International Conference Confronting the Privatisation of War and Security which was held in Barcelona on November 22-23, 2018.

What is the next novel that you are working on and when will it be available?

I am currently working on a nonfiction book about the causes responsible for the current turmoil in the Middle East with publication due early next year.

Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website

The mad dogs of war are on the loose and out of control …

Freelance correspondent, Mike Walker, has made it his mission to condemn ethnic cleansing in Palestine and the West’s complicity in senseless wars of attrition in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere in the world.

Wars in which Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) provide assistance – legitimized, packaged, and presented by PR consultancy companies as “risk management” and “security solutions” – to governments and corporate interests operating in high-risk, complex environments for the purpose of extracting national resources.

In short, he’s playing with fire and he knows it. But he won’t be intimidated.

He won’t stop reporting the true facts that these “security solutions” which cost billions of dollars every year result in gung-ho mercenaries committing heinous crimes and premeditated femicide. Or the corruption, cruelty, and crimes against humanity which happen everywhere on a daily basis.

When a British PMSC begins paying him close attention, however, and MI5 get involved, has he finally gone one report too far?

Will he and his girlfriend escape the intrusive surveillance?

Or will he be silenced forever?

Find out in this fast-paced, exciting, gripping page-turner of a political thriller.