Ed Davey wrote hundreds of great stories during three years as a reporter for the Islington Gazette. But none were quite as good as this tale about fellow journalist Jake Wolsey.

After finding a declassified file about Winston Churchill’s obsession with the ancient Etruscan civilisation, Jake was pursued by MI6 and forced to hide out in Caledonian Road.

He then got caught up in a slow motion chase on a Regent’s Canal boat...

Unfortunately, this wasn’t told in our pages – but in Ed’s debut novel.

Historical thriller Foretold by Thunder was released a year ago and drew on Ed’s experiences living in and reporting about Islington.

Its sequel, The Napoleon Complex, was released last month and again features the King’s Cross neighbourhood.

Ed, 33, worked at the Gazette between 2006 and 2009. He is now a broadcast journalist at BBC Radio 4. When writing the novels, however, his mind wandered back to his old stomping ground.

“Islington is my favourite place that I lived in London,” he says. “I was a reporter for three years at the Gazette and it was one of my favourite jobs. So Islington has a special place in my heart. It was only right to use it in my books.

“I remember it being a fantastic borough to cover. You have all sides of human life and culture. And I also remember having my fair share of ding-dongs with the council.”

The Napoleon Complex picks up from Foretold by Thunder with Jake in Thailand, and MI6 still after him.

Ed, who has already started work on a new prehistoric novel, adds: “The stories revolve around conspiracies, but I only used genuine historical documents as evidence.

“So I spent a lot of time in the British library poring over letters and diaries – looking for ones that I could take out of context like a bad journalist!”

Ed’s novel is available on Amazon for £7.99.