A Mossley writer is debuting his upcoming murder mystery novel set in Greater Manchester – with a BAFTA-nominated Coronation Street actress set to narrate the audiobook.
Award-winning writer Richard Hooton is publishing his debut novel, The Margaret Code, on 10 April – with the audiobook to be narrated by Maggie Ollerenshaw – star of Open All Hours, Last of the Summer Wine, and Coronation Street.
The crime novel follows 89-year-old Margaret – whose fragile memory holds the key to solving the murder investigation taking place on her street.
Hooton – an English Literature graduate who has won several literary awards – works as a senior communications officer for Tameside Council, and wrote the book in his spare time before finding an agent and securing a book deal.
He said: “It’s a dream come true to have my novel published after many years of hard work to create it.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way.
“Their expertise and enthusiasm has been exceptional.”
Inspired by Hooton’s relationship with his own grandmother – who lived with Alzheimer’s and died when he was a teen – the novel features the unique detective duo of Margaret and her grandson James, as the pair seek to unravel the mystery on her doorstep.
The ever-expanding ‘cosy crime’ genre has seen novels from Richard Osman, Janice Hallett, Reverend Richard Coles, Ian Moore, and J.M Hall leading the growing UK market for this irresistible genre of escapism.
Hooton’s The Margaret Code will be the latest edition to a flourishing collection of new Greater Manchester-based crime mystery titles, such as The Cleansing by Bill Rogers, Murder At The Manchester Hotel by Jim Eldridge, and Sam Tobin’s Call The Shots.
The Margaret Code is available to pre-order from Amazon or any bookshop.
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