Personal accounts from within the UK prison system have been transformed into a crime novel exploring the realities of medical work in custody.
Thieves of Time: Book One, published by Maple Publishers, introduces a new fiction series based on Dr Matthieu Cornacle’s early years as a prison doctor.
An MD, PhD and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Dr Cornacle explained that the project developed from journals he maintained during his time in the service.
“The inspiration to write the books came from my wife,” he said. “Reading my prison diaries was her favourite evening ritual. After many years of hesitation, I decided to shape those experiences into fiction. The series is intended as a tribute to the professionals who work daily with incarcerated individuals.”
The novel portrays a newly appointed doctor adapting to the operational structure and interpersonal dynamics of a prison environment.
The fictional narrative follows a young French clinician entering the British system shortly after the high-profile medical release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi following the Lockerbie case.
Across its 104 pages, the book explores issues including personal identity in custody, anger management, workplace isolation and the ethical complexity of providing treatment within a disciplinary framework.
With experience, the protagonist develops a more nuanced understanding of institutional life and those within it.
Key events include attempted escapes, growing internal pressure and the impact of a successful escape on the doctor’s professional and personal circumstances.
Future titles in the Thieves of Time series will continue to track his development, focusing on work with complex prisoners and the emotional consequences of prolonged exposure to difficult settings.
Subsequent volumes also examine the doctor’s own mental health journey and recovery while remaining in the prison system.
Blending crime narrative with medical insight and psychological depth, the series presents a closely observed depiction of custodial healthcare.
Thieves of Time: Book One is available through major retailers, including Waterstones and Amazon, on Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover editions.
The book is published by UK-based Maple Publishers, a company known for supporting imaginative and engaging works in literature.