Former private investigator and gambler from Milton Keyes writes psychological thriller exploring the minds of killers

Mick, who is a former private investigator and gambler, says the plot was inspired by the story of the killers of James Bulger as they have grown up.

He said: “I was inspired by the varying reactions to the Bulger killers as they have grown up, and the issue of rehabilitation later in life. Does a child that kills with no remorse deserve a second chance? What if another child did nothing to prevent the death, and is offered a chance of redemption?"

Mick said he was also interested in how gambling addiction is treated by broader society, the media, and gambling companies.

Published by Troubador, Child X is his second book. His first was a fictionalised retelling of the great train robbery of 1963, completing the story where it had been left unsaid by the gang of thieves. The Men Who Robbed the Great Train Robbers was published by Matador in 2013.

Child X is set in 1999 with the glorious Millennium is approaching. the main character Ray is a struggling private investigator and compulsive gambler whose debt has spiralled out of control. His violent creditors have run out of patience. A retired gangster offers to square his debt if he tracks a man down.

His target is hiding in a cult that masquerades as a telemarketing company. He has changed his identity several times and becomes embroiled in a death that promises to make him more visible.

As Ray homes in on his prey, he discovers a dark secret about the man he has been tasked with finding. A secret that links to his own guilty past, when he could have prevented another child’s death. Will he do the decent thing and hand over a child killer? Or try to understand what drove a twelve-year-old boy to kill?

Child X, ISBN number 9781800460270, is priced at £8.99.