The Man with the Black Box:
The Chase
Colin Cahoon, author of the historically based fiction thriller, The Man with the Black Box, visits key locations which are the backdrop for an action packed chase scene from his book.
The Chase – Part I: Regents Park
I’m standing in Regent’s Park in North London, which is the backdrop for one of the scenes in my book.
Originally this land was owned by a Catholic Abbey, but was acquired, or stolen depending on your perspective, by King Henry VIII to become his private hunting park.
Behind me is the park’s lake, the site of a terrible tragedy. January 15, 1867 was an unseasonably warm day, and thousands of Londoners were taking advantage of the weather to enjoy the park, including hundreds who were skating and sliding on the iced-over lake. Suddenly the ice broke and over 200 people fell through. 40 of them didn’t make it out alive. Later the lake was drained and raised to four feet to make sure such tragedy never happened again.
Another tragedy occurred not far from here at the band shell, when in 1982 an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded during a concert by a British military band. 7 band members were killed.
In my book, an informant for Scotland Yard witnesses a bizarre incident in this park in April of 1905. Soon agents for the Yard are chasing a mysterious Man with a Black Box. Follow me next time, to find out where the chase continues.
The Chase – Part II: King’s Cross Station
I’m standing in front of the King’s Cross Railway Station in North London, which is the backdrop for one of the scenes in my book.
In the Harry Potter book series, the Hogwarts Express departs from secret platform 9 ¾ from King’s Cross station.
King’s Cross was opened in 1852. In the early 20th Century, if someone wanted to get north of London quickly, this is the station they’d come to, the home of the Flying Scotsman, which could make it from London to Edinburgh in the astonishing time of just over 8 hours.
In my book the mysterious man with the black box is chased by Scotland Yard agents from Regents Park to this station. Follow me next time, to found out where the chase ends.
The Chase – Part III: St. Pancras Station
I’m standing in front of Saint Pancras Railway Station in North London, which is the backdrop for one of the scenes in my book.
Saint Pancras, referred to as the “cathedral of the railways” for its single span structure and Victorian Gothic façade, was opened in 1868. By the 1960s the place was run down and a candidate for demolition. Its modern resurrection occurred when it was decided to make this the terminus for the new channel train from Paris, making it today “Saint Pancras International.”
In my book the mysterious man with the black box is chased by Scotland Yard agents from Regents Park to King’s Cross station, to this station. To learn how the chase ends, you’ll just have to read the book!