Mr Crompton-Battersby’s new book ‘Henry Dance and the Savage Tango’ is out now on Amazon, eBay books and in the school library. It’s his second novel and follows ‘Henry Dance and the Quicksteps of Death’.

This is our exclusive interview with the author, who writes under the pseudonym CB Jackson, for the Occasional.

What is the book called?
My new book is called Henry Dance and the Savage Tango

Tell us more about it
It is set in an English boarding school in Norfolk and some of the action takes place in Suffolk. It’s all about a serial supply teacher called Henry Dance, who moves from school to school – only getting temporary jobs, never getting permanent ones and he finds that very frustrating. He arrives at his latest school and starts to make friendships with some of the teachers but, unfortunately, he’s given a very unpleasant task to do by the headmistress, which is to look into the past of his colleagues, to see if there are any skeletons in the cupboards. Someone gets wind of what he is doing and is out to get him.

Do you have to read the first book to understand the second one?
No… They stand alone… There is a little referencing to one or two things that happened in the first book but if you haven’t read the first book, it still makes complete sense.

Describe your book in three words
Funny, shrewd, mystery

Can we get a sneak peek of book three?
The third book, Henry Dance and the Last Waltz, which is coming out next year is a little more complex because Henry’s becoming more and more paranoid after two schools in which he’s been surrounded by murderous episodes.

This book is recommended for age 13+ so could be a great addition to your half term reading list.

Luke McG and Souparno L, Year 10