Retired Nottinghamshire Police officer writes tell-all book about his illustrious career

The book, called Comfort Zone, charts the illustrious career of ex-police officer Nick Holmes, from his life as a bullied under-achiever to heading up security forces around the world.

The now-retired officer covers his career spanning several decades for Nottinghamshire Police, dealing with major drug and gun crime and overseeing the ‘out of control’ city centre at its peak.

He wrote the book after his daughter begged him to write his story to pass down onto her newborn son – and Nick says he hopes that, as well as leaving behind a legacy, that the book will motivate others.

He explained: “My daughter wanted me to write it, so lockdown seemed like the perfect time to get it done.

"I’m usually very active and in the gym each day, so this was the perfect way to fill my time.

"Writing gave me an outlet, and something to keep me occupied – I found it quite therapeutic to write everything down.”

As head of the force’s Homicide Unit and Chief Superintendent, Nick was involved in many large-scale operations, including investigating the high-profile abduction of newborn baby Abbie Humphries from Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre in 1995, as well as leading Operation Stealth – which tackled gun and drugs crime – in 2002.

Nick says that although the book tells stories of his time in the force, he also wants the audience to be motivated by his story.

He says: “The book is primarily about overcoming adversity and that, on a number of occasions, I could have very easily chosen the wrong path,

"It focuses on human relationships too – how not everyone is nice, and I wanted people to read my story and feel motivated to change.

"Many people seem so reluctant to share what they know to help others, whereas I really wanted to guide people who may be struggling.”

The book has been described as a ‘page turner’ and a ‘gripping read’ by reviewers, and reached third in the crime genre within 24 hours of its release last week.

The book can be purchased on Amazon.

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