"My first story about Leon Cazador was as a result of a writing prompt in the local Writers’ Circle while living in Spain in 2005. Many years ago, I’d been a fan of Leslie Charteris’ Saint books and hankered after creating a modern-day version. The idea of outwitting the con-man, the crooked dealer, and the deceivers in society has always appealed. At the time, I was supplying a monthly short story to a local English color magazine, as well as articles and film reviews. The editor liked the Cazador tale so I decided to use him again, producing a monthly Cazador story for the magazine, many of them based on real events and real people, all of them in the first person.
I realized I had to explain how Cazador subsisted. Plenty of do-gooders managed on fees from clients – Travis McGee or Simon Templar, for example – while others were independently rich. Having read that the centuries' old Knights Templar treasure was still unfound, and there was a strong possibility it could be in Spain, I set to work and everything fell into place.
Local and national papers in Spain highlight the corruption to be found in some town halls. Partly, this stems from the old regimes, where nepotism and kickbacks appeared to be the norm. Considering the transition from the dictator Franco (dying in 1975) to a monarchy, Spain has made enormous strides. Yet some old ways linger. And of course, corruption has always been around and doubtless will continue to plague public life – and not only in Spain."
- Nik Morton
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