Avoiding a Cain Mutiny

I was amused to read about Tom Cain’s controversial fictional online-thriller Bloodsport in this morning’s Sunday Times. It seems Roland White in his Atticus Column is equally amused -

Any similarity to real PMs is coincidental

As if the Lake District weather wasn’t bad enough for Gordon Brown’s holiday, a fictional assassin is currently stalking the area in search of a fictional prime minister.

The author Tom Cain’s latest thriller, Bloodsport, tells how Sam Carver, hero of three previous books, hunts down this entirely fictional leader in revenge for the death of a friend in Afghanistan. The story kicks off today on a website called The Rap Sheet.

Have you understood clearly that this prime minister is entirely fictional and not based on any current leader (no names, no pack drill)? Good, because Cain has been very aware of the 2006 Terrorism Act, which is very strict about writers who encourage assassination attempts.

“I must emphasise that no real prime ministers were harmed in the making of this story,” he says. “Although the only complaints I’ve had so far are from people who are peeved that I’m using a fictional prime minister.”

Read the full Atticus column here

Remember The Rap Sheet will feature an exclusive interview with Tom Cain later today Sunday 2nd August, and serialise Bloodsport on Monday 3rd Aug, Tue 4th Aug with the conclusion on Wed 5th August. It is an explosive read – believe me.

For more information about Cain’s Bloodsport – click here and why I decided to get involved in the project here