NEARLY five years ago, a simple virus turned the whole world on its head and shook it until all reason and rhyme were lost in the chaos. A new book by author Tom Meredith asks how society would react on the eve of another mysterious and global pandemic?

‘Blood In The Water’ is set in the wake of a post-Covid world, where the threat of another outbreak looms large. A mysterious death in the Brecon Beacons sparks a chain of events that plunge society into chaos.

Fear grips the nation and dark forces conspire to disrupt and dismantle democracy. Amidst the turmoil, an unlikely coalition emerges to thwart the sinister plot, unveiling a web of deception that threatens to tear the fabric of British society apart.

The idea for his debut novel came to Tom during the lockdown of 2020 when he was busy working in his day job as a financial regulator.

Tom told the Chronicle, “Believe it or not I was classed as a key worker by the government during the pandemic and so each day during lockdown I used to travel to work by train and I was usually the only person on board.

“It was a strange time and a strange environment and as I travelled I began imagining all sorts of scenarios, and the ideas for a novel began forming.”

Although he has been a keen writer since his youth, this is the first time the 31-year-old who is a keen fan of John le Carre and George R. R. Martin, has found the time and discipline to put pen to paper and complete a novel.

“I wrote a lot on the train and in the evenings during lockdown and it sort of just flowed,” explained Thomas who currently resides in Surrey but has family in Sennybridge and is very familiar with Powys.

“When I was young I used to visit the family farm often to help with lambing. And even though I was probably more of a hindrance than a help, I have very fond memories of the area,” he explained.

Tom added, “The first few chapters of the book are set in the Beacons and involve a soldier dying mysteriously on exercise, which ignites the fuse of speculation that it’s the beginning of a new pandemic.

“It’s not, it’s something else entirely, but if you want to find out what you’ll have to read the book.”

The book is billed as a complex modern-day thriller and covers a lot of ground, such as climate change, homelessness, and the treatment of veterans, but Tom explains his own experience of loss influences the emotional core of the story.

He added, “The book is the first in a series of four and the second book, which I’ve already started writing, also begins in the Beacons. It’s such a majestic, memorable, and awe-inspiring area. I’m glad I got the chance to use it as a setting in my book.”

‘Blood in the Water’ by Tom Meredith is published by Troubador on February 28.