Coatbridge born and bred, David O’Donnell found reading a vital outlet when he was growing up. Now the former solicitor and academic is chief executive of the Legal Defence Union has transformed that life-long love of books into a novel of his own.
Fresh from the publication of The Berlin Gambit, Angus-based writer David O’Donnell gives the impression that he still can’t quite believe his luck in securing a publishing deal for his debut novel.
Reading and the nuance of language have always been at the heart of his life and career, from the fond memories of borrowing his, “four permitted books from Coatbridge Public Library,” to his legal career. “I suppose the skill of a lawyer is writing,” he points out, “and I’m hoping that the way The Berlin Gambit is written will engage the readers.”
Legal beginnings
“I was lucky enough to get enough Highers to study law,” says David, who was the first person in his family to go to university. “My family weren’t academic in any way, but equally they were a very loving and supportive family.”
Looking back, he says that reading and trips to the library were: “probably vital to me as a child. My parents didn’t have enough money, certainly, to buy me four books a week.” He recalls discovering Enid Blyton, and then devouring natural history books, “there wasn’t a lot of natural history in Coatbridge, so I guess that was my escape,” he laughs.
Later, it was the world of JRR Tolkien that had him reading into the wee small hours.
“Probably the most influential author was Alistair MacLean (author of thrillers and adventure stories such as Where Eagles Dare and Ice Station Zebra) I thought he was wonderful – I would take his books home and I was up to probably two or three in the morning!”
For his own debut, David has chosen to delve into the fascinating and horrifying era of Germany’s Third Reich. Based around real historical events including the assassination of high-ranking Nazi Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, The Berlin Gambit follows the story of ordinary German police investigator Rolf Schneider as he is tasked with investigating Heydrich’s death and finding some important secret papers.
The author says that although he has never visited Berlin, “I have been to Germany a number of times and it fascinated me. I have spent many years reading about the Nazis’ rise to power and trying to understand how that could have happened.
“Then there was also the story about secret files that Heydrich held on senior members of the Nazi Party – that was the starting point for the novel.”
When fact meets fiction
With historical fact acting as the bedrock for the story, David then introduced the fictional character of Rolf Schneider. “He could be any non-political German living in the Third Reich,” he explains, adding that he represents, “people who turned a blind eye, who just got on with their jobs, thinking ‘it’s nothing to do with me’.”
Schneider’s investigation takes him on a journey across Europe and into a tangled web of corruption and secrecy within the Reich. He can no longer escape asking himself searching questions about what is going on in the world around him.
Buoyed by the fact that The Berlin Gambit was accepted by the Polygon imprint of Edinburgh-based Birlinn, the first publishing house he approached, David has certainly taken to writing like a duck to water. “I’ve got more than the bug, I’ve got a draft sequel all ready!” He laughs. “It follows on from The Berlin Gambit but is quite different and I introduce new characters.”
The Berlin Gambit by David O’Donnell, £9.99, Polygon is available now.
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