Bøger af Roger Parkes

A COLD WAR THRILLER OF THE 1950'S The Traffic Light Syndrome details the activities of the Communists attempts to disrupt the trade unions and infiltrate the Civil Service in Britain as the country struggles to get back to normal after the War. The plan, to install a high ranking communist into position within a government department that will allow access to strategy and policy making, and was both clever and manipulative. Their interference within the print and dockers unions was designed to stifle public opinion and create unrest within a country still suffering from the war and all of the uncertainties of peace.Polly Spencer, stumbles on the plot within the civil service and informs her ward Daniel Bottomley. He had been approached by a concerned trade unionist in the printing industry and was also very aware of the continuing unrest in the docks and the attempts by communist agitators to call a national strike. Concerned about the violence and intimidation tactics being used, Daniel, who is with MI6, decides that it needs to be investigated thoroughly. Rationing was still in place and there are still many shortages of essential food items, fuel is scarce as are many goods in the shops.These uncertainties and fears about the future are cleverly exploited by the communists who are experts at manipulating the concerns and doubts among the population. They use threats and intimidation to secure positions within the trade union movement and so spread their communist propaganda. But the interference of their agents in the Civil Service is stumbled on by Polly when going about her everyday business. Together with Daniel, she uncovers a deep conspiracy to take over government policy making. And so begins a race against time to stop them before they secure key positions in the Civil Service. Although Polly is only eighteen years old, her position in the Home Office gives her the opportunity to secure information against a Soviet controlled organisation known as the Red Hand, which has been operating for some time within the Service. As she finds out more from a Red Hand member who is anxious to help, she becomes the target of several brutal assaults, abductions and attempts on her life. The Soviets seem determined to stop her from meddling in their activities and only heroic efforts by Daniel save her from being killed. He is shot on more than one occasion and himself subjected to brutal assaults. But they both refuse to give up their fight to bring those responsible to justice and so stop the Soviet menace from achieving its aims and ambitions to take over our way of life in Britain. But can the love that they develop for each other and their devotion to their duty prevail as the tension and suspense is raised to fever pitch with the desperate attempts by the Soviets to silence her with their continuing attempts on her life? Will they finally rid themselves of her by disposing of her body at sea after subjecting her to an horrific sexual assault by a group of Russian seaman on an old freighter moored in the docks? Can Daniel find out where she has been taken, before it is all too late? Can the Red Hand members who are in custody, offer any clues as to where the Soviets are holding her and will they want to help anyway? And will Daniel and Polly ever be able to secure enough evidence against the Soviets to bring them to justice?The Traffic Light Syndrome gives a graphic account of the tactics used to intimidate Daniel and Polly Bottomley, and so prevent them from securing justice. Set in the Cold War era, when the Soviets and the Americans were in a race to produce weapons of mass destruction, it mirrors the events of that most dangerous period in our history and highlights the tactics used by the Soviets in their desire for world domination. Just how close the world came to Armageddon thankfully we shall never know.

A COLD WAR CONSPIRACY DETAILING SOVIET INTENTIONS TO INFILTRATE EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS AND SO INFLUENCE POLICY MAKING.The early 1960's saw the Cold War between the East and West escalate to dangerous levels. Polly Bottomley MP, and expert in Soviet Affairs, uncovers a Soviet conspiracy, caused partly by the actions of the European Nations. Any retaliatory threat by Russia, would surely instigate a global conflict. But no one has any idea what form this counter attack will take. But, have the European Nations given the Russians the perfect excuse to initiate a nuclear strike? To the world at large, it would seem they are only protecting themselves from the possibility of European retaliation. But will the retaliate and so most certainly instigate a global nuclear holocaust, in doing so? Polly Bottomley, catches wind of this impending catastrophe, thanks to her contacts in the Foreign Office. Unlike her action-oriented peers, she believes that the Russians can be brought to heel using diplomacy to point out the failings of their communist ideology and dogma. Yet despite her best efforts at a peace conference in Moscow, the Soviets continue their intrusion into Europe, ignoring the protests of Western Nations. She believes the European Nations should demonstrate they are united in their condemnation of their actions and delivers a tough ultimatum in a speech at the United Nations. But has she gone too far with her threat and will this give the Soviets an excuse to initiate a first strike?Then, Daniel Bottomley, an MI6 agent, is contacted by the Americans concerned that Russian sleeper cells may be operating in Britain, hoping to infiltrate government departments and conspire to influence policy with sabotage and subterfuge.Through their investigations, Polly and Daniel uncover a frightening almost terrifying scenario being hatched by the Soviets, brilliant in concept but with the prospects of the inevitable conclusion, namely an all out nuclear conflict.Can they discover what the connection is between the Russian sleeper cells and the European National Party? What are the Soviets actually planning and will it actually threaten world peace? Do they really believe they can initiate a third world war and create a scenario whereby the West will be blamed? And how many governments have they already infiltrated in order to provoke a European strike against them? Can they create the scenario of Europe giving them the perfect excuse with its' provocative threats against them, to attack the US?When the Soviets discover that Polly has uncovered their subterfuge, they know she has to be eliminated if their plan is to succeed. But will Daniel be able to rescue her before she is disposed of when the Soviets abduct her, and subject her to a terrifying and brutal assault? Will Vladimir Baranov the Russian, who tormented and abused her ten years ago finally get his way with her before she is thrown overboard in the English Channel? With this Soviet threat heading towards the point of no return and espionage infiltrating every element of international affairs, it

POST WAR FAMILY ADVENTURE STORY.Set in 1947, The Secret's Holder tells the story of a Britain struggling to recover from the ravages of war. Black market racketeering is rife with vast sums of money involved at the expense of a nation struggling to supply its citizens with the everyday essentials to survive Ben Spencer, uncovers obvious discrepancies while going about his business in the Ministry of Information and decides to investigate. The Ministry was set up to see that all foodstuffs, fuel and other essential items were distributed fairly and evenly to everyone. However, his actions bring him and his family into direct conflict with the criminal gangs making vast profits from their black market activities, who become concerned for their lucrative business interests when Spencer begins his investigations and inflict terrible revenge attacks on his family, especially his 13 year old daughter Polly. Arson, bombings and brutal assaults on his daughter, wife and secretary force him to enlist the help of an ex military colleague to protect the family from this onslaught before someone is killed. Their is no let up in the assaults which become more and more severe as the gangsters become more desperate to protect their business interests. His daughter is abducted and severely beaten with him forced to watch, while is wife is viciously sexually assaulted. There seems no end to these attacks and only the heroics of the man assigned to protect his family, save Polly from certain death as the assaults on her get more brutal and intense. So traumatized is she by these actions against her, that her bodyguard has to remain by her side at all times for fear of further abduction and assaults. And Mrs Bottomley too is badly affected from her terrible treatment by the men in their attempts to silence her husband. Despite all this, Ben Spencer is determined in his efforts to bring those responsible to justice and continues to uncover widespread corruption and begins to wonder if Government may well be involved So begins a race against time to determine who the main players really are and where they might storing their vast supplies of stolen goods together with their details of distribution. There has to be a sophisticated and organised operation behind all this and Spencer is convinced that the culprits are controlled by those in high authority but knows this will be difficult, impossible almost to prove. His investigations lead to a complex web of organised criminal activities taking place from a tunnel complex beneath the South Downs where a vast consignment of illegal contraband is being stored ready for distribution. These tunnels were originally to be used in the event of a German invasion and were unknown to the public, so ideal for the black market racketeers to hide their goods. So, will Spencer be able to prove the involvement of government officials in all this? Will these criminal gangs kill his family before he is able to do so and what will be the after effects be on his daughter Polly of the brutal assaults on her by these ruthless gangs? She has 24 hour protection, yet still the gangsters seek her out for revenge. The Secret's Holder has a fast paced gritty story line, and mirrors perfectly the events immediately after the end of the war. It lays bare the difficulties and uncertainties facing the country at the time. This is historical fiction in detail, and whilst the story a fictional one, black market racketeering was very much a way of life during and after the war when criminals sought to take advantage of shortages of food, fuel and clothing. The country was effectively being held to ransom by organised criminal gangs and the government seemed powerless to do anything, or so it seemed.The Secret's Holder paints a vivid picture of what was happening and just how one man sought to bring those responsible to justice, despite the terrible ordeals he and his family had to suffer.

Can dreams feed imagination and become reality? Katie Walker, 13 years old, living with her parents in the market town of Chisley in Leicestershire, in the mid-1960s. Her sister is too young to be a close friend and her brothers think she is odd, because she spends so much time reading books in her room. Her imagination will create a whole new world for her in 19th-century London where she will be transported to the Victorian era via a portal in an old wardrobe in her bedroom. Whilst she encounters some terrifying ordeals in her other world, in the workhouse and an asylum, she does meet a man who becomes her ward and with whom she forms a sort of romantic attachment. This attachment develops into a relationship which will surely spell disaster for her ward in his position and forces him to take drastic actions. But Katie's adventures uncover a sinister plot involving the Soviets which her ward sees as an opportunity to vindicate his position. Fortunately for Katie she will not remember any of this when she finally returns home unharmed, just a few fleeting memories which puzzle her. Katie's Times is the first of a trilogy about a girl who lives in a virtual world with the ability to travel back and forth in time.