Angus crime author releases new book he feared he would never see published

Jamie Thompson’s new novel, ‘His Path of Darkness’, is a modern twist on James Hogg’s classic, ‘The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner’.

However the author, who grew up in Carnoustie and writes under the name of Ed James, has revealed how a series of terrifying events involving his heart left him “staring into the void of his own mortality”.

Had it not been for his GP’s diagnostic skills, he fears he may not have seen the release of the work, the sixth in a series set in the Borders.

The writer’s troubles stemmed from an ice-cold home-made smoothie during the first Covid-19 lockdown, ironically to boost his immune system. But the freezing drink shocked his stomach, froze his vagal nerve and kicked his heart into Atrial Fibrillation, sending his heartbeat rocketing to 180bpm, even when simply walking his dogs or watching football from the sofa.

After being prescribed beta blockers and referred to a cardiologist, he was placed on the waiting list for Electrical Cardioversion to restore his heart’s normal rhythm. After a four-month wait, the procedure worked - after his heart had to be restarted six times using defibrillation paddles.

However, that was not the end of the former Carnoustie High School pupil’s health ordeal, with a stroke possible at any time. After enduring blood thinners and a drug which gave him sunburn in November, he suffered arrhythmia again and was booked in for further Cardioversion.

He was then referred for another procedure called catheter ablation, to burn away the electrical pathways to his heart. With this regarded as successful, he was given the all-clear last November, only to suffer three further bouts of Atrial Fibrillation.

He is now waiting for another catheter ablation after doctors discovered he was one of only 30% for whom the treatment does not fully work at the first attempt.

He said: “I did fear I was going to die. Then there is the feeling you’ve survived something very serious. It makes you look at life differently. I’ve changed a lot of things in my life since then.

“Because I’m an idiotic Scottish man in his forties who ignores medical issues, I could have had a stroke at any time. The NHS staff have been amazing. If my own GP hadn’t identified the problem and put me on beta blockers at the start, I dread to think what might have happened. If you feel your heart racing a few times, don’t ignore it. Go to the doctor immediately. Or even A&E.

‘His Path of Darkness’ – which borrows a quote from Hogg’s novel – is the sixth book in his DI Rob Marshall series, featuring a serial killer on the loose in close-knit Borders towns.

Ed added: “It was Scotland’s first serial killer novel, so it was way ahead of its time. My villain’s motivations, in this book, stem from that o ne. Society may have moved on but evil still exists in the same way.”

‘His Path of Darkness’ is available from Amazon Kindle, Audible and from Ed’s own bookshop, www.greydogbooks.co.uk.