A murder mystery set in a regional newsroom forms the basis for a former regional editor’s latest novel.

David Scott’s fifth book Murder on the Herald Express follows fictional editor Dick Chinnery as he manages a group of newspapers his company has just bought.

Dick finds himself caught up in a web of intrigue involving the police and MI5 when a murderer strikes.  He and his wife Mary fear they may be the next victims in a newspaper office where nothing is as it seems.

Although possibly inspired by the name of Torquay’s daily-turned-weekly title, the fictional Herald Express is actually based in Cornwall.

David edited the Romford Observer, Banbury Guardian, Birmingham Daily News and Torbay Weekender – thought not the Herald Express itself – during his regional press career.

He says the book will bring back memories of happy days for the regional newspaper industry when advertising revenues and profits soared.

Said David: “I was fortunate enough to be part of an exciting and fun time as an editor in the 1980s. I worked with some genuine characters.”

Murder on the Herald Express is now available as a paperback or for Kindle users from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Ingrams.