Bring The Perpetrators To Justice
In The Long Game, a detective inspector discovers the horrifying truth behind the disappearances and murders of young girls in London. Where did the idea for this novel come from, and how did it develop over time?
The book is based loosely on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, that is currently blowing up again. When I first started realising the horrors of what was occurring in this institutional sex trafficking operation, that seems like it has been operating with impunity for decades, I spent a lot of time thinking how it would be possible to bring the perpetrators to justice, when you’re fighting against such large and powerful organisations and individuals. My thought process led me to believe that the only way of infiltrating or fighting such evil, would be something completely radical, and involve investigators plunging into the gutter with them.
What was your writing process to ensure you captured the essence of the characters?
The heroes in the book were based virtually all on people I know, or have worked with over the years, and I took their personality, mannerisms and expressions and transferred them into the role they played in this book. For the villains, I tried to make them as unlikeable and vile as possible, drawing on experiences such as bad bosses I have had over the year, or unlikeable characters I have encountered.
What research did you do for this novel to get it right?
I have family members who used to work in the police, so I was able to draw on their knowledge for those aspects of the book. In regards to the criminals, it’s difficult to research extensively, as the subject matter is so taboo, but I drew on witness testimonies and accounts from survivors and investigators involved in Epstein and similar atrocities.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
Good question. I wasn’t planning to do a sequel to the Long Game, and had started writing another book about international government and institutional corruption, and how the decisions they take affect ordinary lives. I then had a weekend where the whole premise of a sequel to the Long Game came to me, so I am currently stuck deciding between the two books, and which one to finish and release next. I will make that decision soon, and hope to have a finished book by the end of summer 2026.
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When DCI Michael Dack is caught on camera abducting a young girl, the case should be open-and-shut. But nearly three years later, Dack resurfaces — not as a suspect, but as the head of a new police task force investigating a string of similar child exploitation crimes across London.
As the investigation deepens, so do the questions. Is Dack a rogue officer working undercover to expose a corrupt network? Or is he orchestrating the very horrors he claims to be hunting? His team is forced to confront the chilling possibility that the man leading the charge may be the monster they’re trying to stop.
Set against the gritty backdrop of modern-day London, The Long Game plunges into the murky world of police corruption, moral compromise and institutional rot. With echoes of real-world scandals, this is a tense psychological crime thriller, packed with jaw-dropping twists and morally grey characters that will keep readers turning pages deep into the night.
Perfect for fans of Line of Duty, Luther, and dark British police procedurals. If you like your crime fiction hard-hitting, thought-provoking and disturbingly plausible, you won’t be able to put this down.
Posted on February 12, 2026, in Interviews and tagged action, author, book, book recommendations, book review, book reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, Conspiracy Thrillers, crime, ebook, fiction, goodreads, indie author, kidnapping thrillers, kindle, kobo, literature, nook, novel, Political Thrillers, read, reader, reading, Steven Shepherd, story, The Long Game, thriller, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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