THE GEORDIE JACKAL
A novel by Derek Platten
After years of lies, penny-pinching, and humiliation, the TOON ARMY has had enough. They decide to crowdfund the assassination of their hated owner and chairman.Dodge, just an ordinary fan, finds himself in charge of a bandwagon he can no longer control, and The Geordie Jackal will not let him escape.The man they call The Fat Controller feels the ground shift beneath him as the terraces roar and the streets ignite.
REVIEWS
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Jill in Newcastle
As I am not a football fan I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book.
I AM a huge fan of fast-paced crime thriller novels, and THAT is exactly what this book is.
The writing is quick and punchy and, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and I didn't need to know anything about football !Andrew Boak in Blyth
Wow - what a roller coaster of a book! More twists and turns than Ginola on the left wing.
A storyline so gritty and close to what was in every Geordies heart at the time.
It makes you laugh and makes you cry, but in the end it is a love story; a love of a community, a fan base, a city; THE GEORDIES for their football club.Roj in Seghill
Very unusually for me, I finished The Geordie Jackal in less than a day and a half because I couldn't put it down.
The fast-paced, staccato writing style and short, cliffhanger chapters kept me hooked throughout.
Although some repetition in the first part stood out, it makes perfect sense as the story develops.
A gripping thriller that's a must-read for Toon fans, Geordies, and all thriller lovers.Graham in Nantwich, Cheshire
I read it in two sessions and stayed up long after my bedtime to finish it.
The writer's use of dialogue and short, staccato sentences moves the action along at a pace.
This is an assured debut thriller by a new Geordie author whose love of both his football club and his city shines through the narrative.Jo in Oxford
Brilliant book. Lots of gripping passages when you just can't put book down!
Lovely recognising all the familiar street names in Newcastle.
Well done!Gary in Rugby
You’ve done a fantastic job with this. The Geordie tone is incredibly strong. You’ve nailed the voice, the camaraderie, and the high-stakes feel of the supporter group.
The story moves at a really great clip. The tension builds nicely around the "Jackal" element, keeping me turning the pages. You should be seriously proud of this.Jamie in Hazelrigg
Very good, very readable - if I was being hypercritical I could say the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out.
I enjoyed it though, kept coming back to it on my sun-lounger which is a measure of success in itself.Amrit Singh in Newcastle
Finished the book already! 6 hours disintegrated like it was 5 minutes.Amazing!!!!!
Visualising the trip from Strawberry to the RVI, captured brilliantly.
Love the chasing all around Newcastle, the cinema, The George, the streets, the thriller.
You are a special one.Colin Parker in Northumberland
It was a revelation!
It was one those 'can't put it down' books and not only was the plot and story line a gem, but Derek's style of writing is unique.
Seriously, it's a great read or ideal present for any Toon fan.
He ruled the club with arrogance, contempt, and a belief that the fans would never fight back.He was wrong.From late‑night rumours to viral posts, from pub whispers to city‑wide mobilisation, a grassroots uprising explodes across Tyneside — digital, relentless, and impossible to silence.A story of modern fan power, online rebellion, and the moment a football club’s supporters brought down the man who underestimated them.
A debut novel spawned by real-life events
Meet the author
Derek Platten
A lifelong Toon fan, I, went to my first match in 1963 and have very rarely missed one since then.
I live and breathe my beloved Newcastle United and have followed them home and away the length and breadth of the land and the continent - from Exeter to Dundee and from Cardiff to Norwich. From Oslo to Barcelona and from Bilbao to Dortmund.
I was a nightshift taxi-driver in Newcastle for more than 25 years and my nickname was Dodge.
Chapter 2 is completely autobiographical and Barry, Tiger, my son, Chris, and I were all there that night in the Three Bulls' Heads.
Whilst what follows is pure fiction, it truly demonstrates the depths of despair to which the Toon Army were driven in the not too distant past.
Here's hoping that our future will be a lot brighter than that saddest-of-sad past.
HOWAY THE LADS
CHAPTER 2 - THE THREE BULLS' HEADS
Newcastle had just lost. Again.
To a relegation rival. Again.
At home. Again.Barry slammed his pint down and announced, with the solemnity of a man making a will, “If somebody could organise a hitman to kill that fat bastard, I’d gladly pay a hundred quid towards it.”Tiger didn’t even look up. “Aye. You and twenty thousand others.”Dodge leaned back in his chair.“Twenty thousand hundred quids is two million quid.
I reckon someone would top the fat bastard for less than that.”They talked about crowdfunding, anonymity, crime novels, online fundraising, and whether “incitement to murder” applied even if you were only thinking about it while pissed.By closing time, they’d solved nothing except the number of pints they could drink before losing the ability to pronounce consonants.A week passed."What if we divvent actually need to do anything?
What if we just make the Fat Controller believe someone could?”Chris leaned in. “How?”“I write a novel.”The others blinked.“A novel?” Tiger said.“Aye. A thriller.
About exactly this.
About us. About the idea.
About the assassin.I post it on Toon Army social media. Let the fans react.
Let the rumours spread.
Let the Fat Controller see what he’s driven people to.”“And you think you can write it?” Chris asked.Dodge nodded. “I think I can give it a go.”And so, he did.And THIS was the result!
