I’m pleased to welcome Richard Robinson back to Celtic Connexions with his fourth book in his Topaz Files series, Deep Swimmers.
Blurb
Belfast, 1995. When an elderly couple fall to their deaths from the city’s notorious Ashton Tower, the incident is quickly ruled a suicide. For most, it’s a tragedy. For British Intelligence, it’s the beginning of something far more dangerous.
Jones and Jenny, now seasoned members of MI5’s Young Communicators Unit, find themselves pulled into an investigation that reaches back to the Second World War. The case sees Jones return home to Suffolk, where he must handle a homeless republican veteran still hiding from something.
What begins as a routine inquiry soon exposes buried loyalties, forgotten operations, and a web of deception that comes to an extraordinary conclusion.
As police investigators, MI5 officers, and retired spymasters circle the truth, a Mossad agent opens old wounds. Someone is determined to keep the past buried, no matter the cost.
Set against the tense backdrop of 1990s Northern Ireland, Deep Swimmers is a gripping espionage thriller about the deadly legacy of covert lives and the price of keeping secrets.
Some falls are accidents. But hiding from the truth is a deadly game.
Buy Links
PAPERBACK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/191947160X
EBOOK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Swimmers-Topaz-Files-Book-ebook/dp/B0GHT8TRL6
Interview with Richard
How did you get started writing?
I’m a trained journalist and have written for as long as I can remember. I enjoy creating new landscapes with words and trying to fill them with colourful people. One of my earliest memories is standing up and reading a story I created at primary school. However, the notion of writing a novel never really hit me until I needed to rethink my life. I lost my father in October 2020 and needed something to throw myself into, to divert my brain away from that pain. Hence, after only eight months, Topaz was born. It was a form of escapism that continues to this day.
What drew you to write a novel
I think the turmoil of losing a loved one led me to want to temporarily live in a different universe, that I could shape and hone. In the past, when I needed space or to reset, I’d disappeared to Northern Ireland and I’d previously spent time living near Belfast in the 1990s. But more recently, I decided to build that new universe in my head, on paper and then add interesting dimensions. That’s not to say I hadn’t attempted novels in the past, I did once in the early 2000s (which became The Mainstay) but I only really ploughed on with Topaz in 2022 and 2023.
Fast forward to Deep Swimmers – book four. Where did the inspiration for that come from?
All good authors challenge their main protagonist and Jones has really been put through his paces in Deep Swimmers, after only just surviving Wild Flowers! Deep Swimmers was born out of an idea that everyone lives within the shadow of Divis Tower in Belfast. I’ve called it Ashton Tower in the book. That shadow meant the British Army had to helicopter onto the roof and it was a microcosm of the city. The two older people that fell from the tower allowed me to delve deeper into that community, the residents and the feeling of the time. Likewise, Jones being called home to care for his ailing mother gave me a chance to talk about Suffolk, where I grew up. And finally, the third strand was he real life story of Operation Green and the IRA links to Nazi Germany, which I found fascinating. That all came together and I was delighted that I was able to make it work. The reviews happily suggest that people enjoyed watching those strands come together.
Which writers past or present have influenced your style of writing?
I studied English Literature and have always enjoyed the classics, I like to delve into a character irrespective of the era or genre and try to get under their skin. I enjoyed reading Thomas Hardy and D.H. Lawrence. However, it was John Le Carre, Len Deighton and Ian Fleming that inspired me to look into thriller and espionage fiction. The only tweak I needed for my own style was to remove to machismo element and perhaps look at the flaws, weaknesses and humour of the main protagonists.
So, my style is somewhere between the humour of Andrew Cartmel (Vinyl Detective) and the spy thriller fiction of Charles Cumming.
There are many interesting characters in your Novel, do you have a particular favourite one?
There is a character called Declan McNally, a Derry man, who is a grizzled former spy and in Topaz becomes part of the management team at Milton College. I’ve enjoyed seeing his character change from a rather forlorn and frustrated man, to a reinvigorated and re-energised operative. He seems to get his inspiration from the youngsters on the team and discovers his humour whilst holding onto his little quirks. I enjoyed seeing him develop. He is the main protagonist in a new book called German Bite, which should be published later in 2026.
Do you see any of your characters personality in yourself and vice versa?
Both Jones and Jenny Richmond have my humour, challenges and traits in abundance. But neither are based on me. Jenny’s imposter syndrome, Jones’ struggle with his unique set of skills and even how their relationship blossoms due to their need for mutual support and care in a challenging context, reflects my own experiences in life. But Jones and Jenny are braver and more intelligent than I’ll ever be!
If you had the opportunity to write a novel with any writer alive or dead, who would it be and why?
In his books, Ian Fleming used to understand the technical detail behind every piece of equipment, the geography of every landscape and even the cuisine of every location. John Le Carre added the layers of emotion and feeling that brought his characters to life without being prescriptive to the reader. With that in mind, I’d probably want to meet those two incredible authors in a bar somewhere and craft a story together.
The website address is: www.thetopazfiles.com
BlueSky and X/Twitter: @thetopazfiles and Instagram @r_we_r
About the Author
Richard W. Robinson is an author and journalist and spent his early days freelancing or working in agency positions across the UK and Ireland. The Topaz Files is a series of spy fiction novels where we follow the missions of Jones and Richmond as they make their way through the early years of a career in espionage. The first, published in May 2023, is Topaz and this was followed by Wild Flowers a year later, The Mainstay and Deep Swimmers have since been published. The novels are works of fiction but reference historic events in 1994-1996, around the time of the peace talks in Northern Ireland.
Outside the literary world, Richard lives in East Anglia, England, with his wife and two daughters. He is the CEO of a charity focused on ending the abuse of older people. He’s a very committed cratedigger (vinyl collector) and can occasionally be seen in the stands at Loftus Road and Windsor Park. Look out for the Topaz Files on social media and for the forthcoming releases of SEEN/UNSEEN (book five) and The Rock Ledger (book six). Robinson has also finished a Cold War spy story called German Bite which is expected to be published in late 2026.
WEBSITE – https://www.thetopazfiles.com/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE –https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Richard-Robinson/author/B0C8ZP6YHL
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Twitter at @TheTopazFiles
Richard on Instagram at @r_we_r
Email Richard at thewash_house@live.co.uk
I jumped at the chance to read Christopher’s novel, Decoy. First of all, it’s set in a time period that’s important to me. My father fought during WWII but never spoke about his time overseas. I found out long after he passed away that he was able to get leave to go from mainland Europe to his youngest brother’s wedding in Scotland.
