I am Damían Vargas, a Brit who has been living in the South of Spain for several years. Lots of crazy things happen down here in this part of the world; corruption, violence, drug smuggling, money laundering, violent weather events and a vibrant sex-trade to name just a few.

Summer 2018

With my first novel, ‘SIX HARD DAYS IN ANDALUSIA,’ complete, I thought that I might switch genres for the next book. ‘Maybe try a sci-fi thriller. or even a comedy?’ I thought. I came up with and outlined several in fact. However, people kept asking me to give them another story in the same world as Six Hard Days, which has several strong and unique characters. Okay, I thought. But if I did this, which one would I focus on?

Before too long I had my answer; Eddie Lawson – the ‘Old Man’ character, the British villain who had been plying his illegal trade on the Costa del Sol since the mid-eighties. How did he get there? What did he get up to over those years? What was his origin story? What did he think he wanted? What did he really need?

 

Marbella 1985

The Andalusian town of Marbella was at the heart of the ‘Costa del Crime’ scene in the 1980s (and has played host to many a corrupt public official, gangster and many other undesirable characters since). I thought it would be interesting to tell the tale of Eddie Lawson arriving in Spain, fresh from being kicked out of the army, suffering from his wartime experiences in the Falklands and elsewhere. What if he had a brother in Marbella who he had not seen for many years? What if that brother was one of the many British criminals on the run from the law for their crimes back in the UK? Would they get on? What would they get up to? I had my premise, my setting and my main two characters.

All I had to do next was write 125,000 words.