Rookie police officer Tony Wilkinson is set to join the ranks of fictional crime-fighters such as Inspector Morse - and his creator is real life Chief Inspector Ron Johnson, of Craven.

He has drawn on 30 years of experience in the force to make his debut as a novelist. And Focus on Murder - described as a fast-moving murder mystery with twists and turns - is due to hit the bookshelves within the next few weeks.

"I am very excited about it," said Chief Insp Johnson, 48, who has been based at Skipton Police Station for the last four years.

He has always liked writing and finally decided to put pen to paper after spending five years as North Yorkshire Police press officer.

"It was the first real opportunity I had to write," he explained.

"I edited the force magazine, Police Box, and wrote short stories to fill the pages. I found I liked it, and I looked forward to doing it."

To improve his skills, he enrolled on a correspondence writing course and his final assignment was to produce a synopsis of a book.

"I decided I had had enough of the course, but I wanted to write the book. I wrote it in pencil on A4 pages, and it took me 12 months, working on Sunday and Monday nights," he said.

"I am happy with the result, and I am satisfied that I have written a book that is worth reading. What I tried to do was to make it a good story, with characters who are real people. I am surprised at the way it developed."

The fictional investigation takes place in the coastal holiday resort of Sanford Bay where a young girl's brutally mutilated body is found. The story follows PC Tony Wilkinson as he tackles his first murder investigation.

"While none of the characters are based on real people, there is a certain resemblance between Tony and myself as a young inexperienced officer working in Scarborough," added Chief Insp Johnson.

He is now working on a second book, which he hopes to complete later this year.

l Focus on Murder is published by London-based Janus Publishing. It costs £8.95.

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