Hadford Howell was born in Barbados in 1956. He went to join his parents in England in 1968 before returning to Barbados in 1981. In the UK and in Barbados, he worked both in the public service and in the private sector. Prior to his early retirement, he served for 33 years in a senior position at a diplomatic mission in Barbados.
Hadford is now consistently fulfilling his life-long ambition of writing novels. 12 Presents is the latest, featuring Barbados Intelligence Bureau (BIB) operatives. Subsequent novels in the BIB series are in advanced stages of development. A graduate of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, Hadford has served on his local Church Council and School Boards and has been a Justice of the Peace (JP) for over 20 years. He was awarded an MBE by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. He sits on the Board of Directors of two Barbados charities, and is the government-appointed Chairman of the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA).
A political crime thriller, set on the beautiful Caribbean Island of Barbados.
The Head of Government is shot on his return home from an official visit overseas. Who is behind the assassination attempt and how will they benefit from undertaking such a dastardly act? What’s at stake for several individuals, should the Head of Government die or be unable to recover sufficiently to lead his party into the next general election? An entertaining, fast-paced novel about politics, power, prestige, and personal gain. Ambition and greed play their role in the intrigue, as national law enforcement and security agencies, led by Barbados Intelligence Bureau (BIB) operatives, seek to find those responsible. The pursuit is relentless, at times unconventional, but always legal. The culprits may surprise you. Will they be brought to justice? In Connect the Dots… the twists and turns are many along the way…
April 2018. Two and a half years have passed since the unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Barbados’ Prime Minister, Jeffrey Motby. His surprisingly quick and full recovery had enabled him, just eight months later, to lead his Barbados United Party (BUP) to a third successive general election victory. Policies and projects were working. The UK vehicle investment project he had directly masterminded had reduced unemployment to just over eight per cent. England’s Test cricket team was set to visit Barbados to play a resurgent West Indies. A royal visit to Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines was scheduled and the Prime Minister’s daughter planned to marry shortly. There were no known crises on the horizon.
But situations can change quickly. Major, unexpected actions disrupt the best laid plans of the government. A perfect storm? The Organisation comes to town; there is a mid-morning prisoners’ escape and the un-explained disappearance of a senior government official. A botched night robbery in a prime tourism nightspot is also witnessed by a top overseas journalist. A response by government is required as other scheduled sporting and entertainment events become part of the mix. Barbados’ long-established reputation for stability, hospitality and security is threatened by this convergence of events.
The Prime Minister, also the current CARICOM Chairman, demands rapid answers and an early return to normalcy. Events inadvertently connect a senior BIB operative who is hung out to dry. Nothing is what it seems. Can Barbados’ robust law enforcement agencies combine to save the country’s stellar reputation?
It is December 2019, and preparations for Barbados Prime Minister Jeffrey Motby’s annual Christmas reception have been thrown into disarray when a close and dear friend of his dies in a vehicular accident. One week later, another long-term friend dies by drowning. Motby becomes concerned. Was this coincidence, or were his two friends’ deaths connected? He is unable to comprehend their untimely deaths and his friendship with them going back over 30 years as Mango Club members.
While not strictly a national security matter, Motby quietly asks the Barbados Intelligence Bureau (BIB) to investigate the deaths to see what, if anything, connects either or both deaths to him, his family, or his government. The apparent suicide of a third friend makes the investigation official. BIB operatives and Barbados police officers review the three deaths in different Caribbean countries. Other Mango Club members' lives are also threatened.
Can the Chaos Theory help? Are the killings being made due to anger, envy, jealousy, revenge, or elements of all four of these factors? The Barbados crisis has the potential to ripple across the Caribbean Sea and beyond. Long-held personal secrets are exposed and friendships fray. Only hard work, cooperation, trust, ingenuity, and some luck help in solving the 12 Presents puzzle.
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