Debut novel by Wigan men plumbs USA’s dark past

Nick Fisher and Geoff Burke have spent years working on their debut novel, which is set in late 18th and early 19th century America and features Betsy Roberts.

She became involved with the Harpe brothers, who killed dozens of people and are considered by many to be the first known serial killers in the country.

Nick, who lives in Swinley, said: “They captured and murdered lots of people – 50 or 60 people. They captured Betsy Roberts at 17 and it’s how she survives, how it changes her and she becomes ruthless herself. No-one stands in her way and she becomes very rich, quite a power in New York.

“They are real people and we have just added characters to it and had some licence with how we have written it to make it a good story.”

Nick had been interested in finding out more about the Harpes for several years.

“I first found out about the Harpes when I was 17,” he said. “I was reading a Wild West book and there was a little paragraph about them and I have been fascinated ever since.”

He spoke to Geoff, who is his cousin’s husband, about Betsy and the Harpes many times over the years.

Their first attempt to write a book was “more like a slasher movie”, and they decided to tell the story from a woman’s point of view instead.

Nick said: “We have spent years researching it and years writing it. We rejected a lot of the ideas we had. We wrote a lot and re-wrote it and tried again.”

Finally they finished the book, which is entitled Betsy Roberts, and it has now been published by Cambria Books.

The men decided to use the nom de plume NG Neville, with the initials representing Nick and Geoff and Neville coming from film The Draughtsman’s Contract, as Nick used to work as a draughtsman.

Nick, 63, said they were delighted to see their book in print.

“It’s brilliant. It’s not sunk in really yet. It’s a bit of a surprise,” he said.

It is not the first time the pair have joined forces on a creative project. Nick and Geoff, 67, a retired teacher who moved from Swinley to North Wales, spent 18 months holding blues events at The Old Courts and co-run Llandudno Jazz Festival. Nick is also an established artist and co-founder and organiser of The Swinley Group art collective.

They are now busy writing more stories featuring the characters from their first book.

Nick said: “We are writing some short stories now with the characters from the book before they came to the book. I think we are doing eight short stories. We have outlined four at the moment, they are virtually finished.”

Betsy Roberts, by NG Neville, is available to buy via Cambria Books and Amazon.