‘Changing the Odds’ by Jeff Dowson

Published by Oak Tree Press,
7 December 2015.
ISBN: 978-1-7853-8276-5

Jack Shepherd, ex-policeman, now PI, accidentally knocks a woman over with his car. Discovering the woman to be homeless, Jack sets about finding her next of kin.  Contacting May Marsh, patron of many charities and a constant lobbyist on behalf of the homeless, he makes some progress.  A few days later May’s husband Bill disappears.

As finding missing people is what Jack does he takes the case and sets out to find retired bookie, millionaire Bill Marsh.  Has Bill been abducted? Is it his blood on the hall floor? Tracing Bill’s recent contacts leads him to a dead body, and Bristol’s underworld of organised crime - the Settle family.

Investigations take Jack and girlfriend Linda to the Channel Islands, where he makes a further  surprising discovery. Then a series of seemingly unrelated incidents begin to come together.

Fast paced with an explosive unexpected ending, this is compelling reading .I look forward to the next Jack Shepherd thriller. Highly recommended
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

The first book in the Jack Shepherd series is Closing the Distance.

Jeff Dowson has worked in arts and entertainment business since the mid 70s. Beginning as a theatre writer and director – specialising in work by Alan Plater, Howard Brenton, Joe Orton, Harold Pinter; and European writers Samuel Beckett, Max Frisch and Bertolt Brecht.  He took this experience into television and joined ITV company, Granada, as a writer and producer; which in the mid 80s, launched a second career as an independent screenwriter/producer/director. Recently, after a decade as a script producer, edit producer and executive producer, he sat down at his desk and decided to go back to writing full time.