Author draws on Gibraltar’s history and landscape for new thriller

If the Rock falls, the world burns.

With the Rock of Gibraltar marked as ground zero and NATO’s Article 5 hanging in the balance, Spencer must race against time to avert a global catastrophe. Can Spencer stop war before it starts? Or will the world witness the Rock reduced to rubble?

The Rock of Gibraltar’s geology, history and wartime tunnels inspired much of the setting for ‘Dark Rock’, the latest thriller from author Faye Allman, pen name Betsy Baskerville [name], who was moored at Queensway Marina aboard the yacht Sailing Hjem while working on the book.

The Newcastle-based writer, was joined by her husband Rob Johnson and their dog Yewy, as they spent the winter on the Rock.

Speaking to the Chronicle about the new book Ms Allman said that the landscape itself became “ever present” in the story, sometimes as a looming shadow and at other times as a protective presence.

“The Rock is ever present. Looming. Depending on your mindset on any given day it could be viewed as a looming, inescapable shadow or a protective guardian standing watch,” she said.

The novel introduces protagonist Spencer Bly, a character with no formal constraints compared to the author’s previous detective, DCI Erica Cooper. “Spencer has no rule book and no one to answer to. I found it incredibly freeing to write,” she said.

Dark Rock marks the first time the author has written a plot with consequences that could have a global impact, describing it as a potential “black swan event” in the story’s fictional world.

One of the most surprising discoveries during their stay was learning about the Great Siege, which became a brief but significant reference in the novel. “I didn't want to turn Dark Rock into a history book, and Gibraltar's history is not mine to tell, but I'd be foolish not to mention the longest siege endured by British forces, the odds that were overcome, and the way people flocked to Algeciras to watch it unfold as if it were a spectator sport,” she said.

Local residents also influenced the work. A scuba diver friend, Geoff, contributed sensory details for underwater scenes, a gardener, Karen, accompanied her to the Northern Defences to identify plants, and a fellow writer, Camilla, provided feedback and introduced her to a literary community at BookGem.

A turning point in developing the plot came from visiting Gibraltar’s extensive network of tunnels, which led to the question: “What if something was in there that shouldn’t be? What if Gibraltar’s strategic defences were actually its Achilles’ heel?”

She said one of the biggest challenges was deciding which real locations to omit to keep the story moving. While some scenes take place in recognisable spots, others such as St Michael’s Cave and Trafalgar Cemetery were left out.

“I didn’t want the book to read like a tourist guide and although Spencer does manage one day of sightseeing, I needed to keep the plot moving. I’d have loved to have set something in St. Michael’s Cave and Trafalgar Cemetery, but it wasn’t to be - not this time, anyway,” she said.

Spencer Bly is expected to return in future books, with the author planning to set each story in locations where they have spent extended time.

“I had far too much fun writing Spencer, so there is no way I can leave this as a standalone. To be honest, her next mission will likely take her to the next destination I find myself spending extended time in,” she said.

“I don’t want to set a Spencer Bly book somewhere I’ve only been for a few days. If I’m going to highlight a location, I want to do it justice, get to know the place beyond the tourist sites and dig deeper.”

When asked who might play Spencer Bly in a film adaptation, the author suggested Keira Knightley for her action roles and Jenna Ortega for her resemblance to the character, noting that the latter would need to take on a British accent for the role.

The author recalled a personal highlight from their Gibraltar stay, “Christmas morning. It was a beautiful sunny day. My husband, our little dog and I walked up to Devil’s Gap Battery. I’d done the walk before, but poor Rob had no idea how many stairs he had in store.”

“Once there, we rested, drank mulled wine from a flask and looked out over the Strait, reminiscing about all the places we’d been lucky enough to sail to and all the places we were yet to visit.”

Dark Rock launches as an ebook on October 1st (£3.99), followed shortly by the paperback and hardback editions. There will also be translations for the German, Spanish, and French markets.