So, what makes a business adviser and customer services expert turn to a life of crime!?

Many people already know me as “Cashier Number Three” and over the past 20 years or so, around 25 million shoppers each month have heard my voice summoning them from the queue – in banks, shops and post offices worldwide.

My first foray into writing was a business book, “You’re Next” which focussed on customer service and queue management. A reader commented that it read like a thriller and it got me thinking, why not try my hand at fiction?

My business life has taken some interesting twists and turns, from cars to queues, cellular phones to celebrity chefs, broadcasting to digital marketing, innovation adviser to the DTI to mentor for the Prince’s Trust. So, I set myself the challenge to come up with a twist on the classic detective story. Could I write an entertaining, compelling series of novels set against the background of my career. Oh sure, there would have to be lies, fraud and murder, along with some delicious scandal and just a touch of romantic intrigue – in short, all the elements you’d expect in a thrilling, page-turner! And all served up on a bed of gritty challenges for our hero, business firefighter Jake Elderfield.

So here, from my base in delightful Tavistock, on the western edge of Dartmoor, I’m plotting Jake’s exciting career. I hope you can join me on the journey.