FORMER North Wales journalist David Williams looks like being on to a winner with the release of his first book.

Williams began his journalistic career with NWN Media, parent company of The Denbighshire Free Press and knows more than most about the disease called football hooliganism that blights the world game.

The former journalist has faced the knife wielding gangs of Azerbaijan; the vicious skinheads of Prague; the racist thugs of Serbia and the no-nonsense 'disabling' tactics of riot police in Germany and Belgium so writes with some authority on the subject.

Desert England is a disturbing tale of organised football hooliganism involving England fans across Europe.

But this was no natural phenomenon; this was a wholly man-made weapon of terror, dubbed by the foreign media as 'the English disease': football hooliganism.

In the months leading up to FIFA's decision as to which country would have the prestigious honour of hosting the 2006 World Cup – England or arch-enemies Germany – the level of wanton, indiscriminate violence at overseas match locations in the name of British patriotism was escalating out of control … but why?

Williams' book tells the story of how an undercover cop infiltrates an organised military style operation to wreck England's chances from a Middle East base.

But where does the funding come from and what are the real motives behind such mindless violence?

Williams manages to untangle the mystery in a way that keeps the reader clinging to every paragraph and the final unexpected twist comes right out of the blue.

Desert England is a gripping read, the conclusion is unexpected and as every chapter tantalisingly points you in the direction of the next, you will find it hard to put down.

The book, published by Apex Publishing is on sale at £7-99, and is also available from www.desertengland.com