Under Fire: (A Dan Taylor thriller)

by Amphlett, Rachel

eBook ISBN: 978-0-9922685-7-2

  About the Author

  For more information about Rachel Amphlett, see:-

  www.rachelamphlett.com

  Twitter: @RachelAmphlett

  Facebook: Rachel Amphlett – author

  Author's Note and Acknowledgements

  As with any work of fiction there is often the need to bend the rules and tweak the facts to suit the story.

  Anyone familiar with Malta will notice I’ve taken a few liberties with the geography of the place. It would in fact be impossible to hide a submarine on the coastline I’ve suggested, however I can highly recommend a visit to the island. It’s a great place to explore.

  Cyber-terrorism is a very real issue for the UK and other countries, evidenced by recent reports of different viruses and malware being used by hackers and governments alike to disrupt various utilities and power services around the world, and it seems no-one is immune. The UK’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure has some excellent information on its website for anyone interested in learning more about these types of threats and what the UK agencies are doing to counteract such issues.

  There are a number of Government reports publicly available online to anyone interested in the security of the UK’s gas supply. However, it is hoped the real UK Government is taking a little more interest in the defence of its energy supply than is depicted here.

  Readers interested in the history and current threat status of the SS Richard Montgomery can review the latest reports on the wreck available through the UK’s Maritime and Coastal Agency, which provides fascinating reading.

  A number of Oberon-class submarines are now housed in various museums in England and Australia. To help with research for Under Fire, I visited HMAS Onslow at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney, which helped me gain a sense of what it would have been like to work within the restricted confines of a submarine.

  As always, there were a number of people who went above and beyond the call of duty, helping me with research and reading early drafts of Under Fire, making suggestions for improvements, checking the facts (and kindly ignoring my taking of liberties with the same) and generally keeping me on track to complete the novel. Particular thanks to John Broome, Stephen Davies, David Dowling, Darren Grant, Rhys Miles, Harry Moore, David Pope, Richard Smith, Paul Wilson and Conrad Yoong.

  Thanks to my editing team of Nick Furmidge and Veronica Wildy, both of whom have done a sterling job in making sure this thriller ticks all the right boxes.

  Thank you to everyone who read White Gold, wrote reviews and generally kept the flag flying in all corners of the world – I really appreciate it.

  I’d also like to include a special mention here for my family and friends, who kept cheering me on when things got tough, acted as sounding boards, and reminded me not to take it all too seriously. Hopefully you have a good idea of how much it is appreciated.

  See you next time.

  Rachel Amphlett

  Brisbane, 2013