THE LONE BRIT ON 13. A Prisoner's Hell in Spain's Toughest Jail

Softcover. A gripping true story of violence, degradation and adventure penned in the confines of a grim Malaga prison cell. Convicted twice of drug-smuggling in 1999 and 2002, the author spent a total of over three and a half years in four Spanish prisons. In each one, he established himself as a force to be reckoned with amongst the screws and the inmates alike, meeting violence with even greater violence in order to survive. Writing became Chance's means of escape in the last of these prisons. In his dank cell and amidst the noise and chaos of the common room, he started recording the excitements and disasters of his life, both past and present. As a civilian, Chance's life had been packed with action and incident, including his time as a British soldier in Thailand and Northern Ireland, and as a professional martial-arts instructor in Spain, before he finally met his downfall as a drug-trafficker, sailing massive consignments of hashish from ports in Spain and Morocco. As an inmate, his life would be no less dramatic. The sole British prisoner on wing 13, Chance was a prime target for the intimidating Spanish hardmen and cut-throats who thrived on cruelty and treachery. But his martial-arts skills and Samnurai philosophy proved to be more than a match for the aggressors. He fought his way to the surface of a cesspool of iniquitous scumbags using his fists: the only effective means of being understood in an environment of desecrated morality and non-existent integrity. Once admired by his peers as the owner of a respected and successful martial-arts business, Chance had plenty of time to reflect on how one wrong turn in life had cost him everything except the love and support of his loyal wife. 238pp. 8vo. softcover. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. Review copy with loosely inserted slip. F. with no creasing to covers.