A former sports editor with the Hull Daily Mail has published his first novel in what he hopes will become a trilogy.

Mark Flanagan, now an independent publisher, has written the first in a planned series of three books which follow the fortunes of a child genius attempting to uncover the great secrets of our age.

Described as a suspense thriller Yellow Foam has been a labour of love for the 39-year-old, who began researching the subject matter six years ago.

Currently it is only available as an e-book on Amazon but he hopes that established book publishers may become interested.

Said Mark:  “It is a real departure from anything I have done before.  The subject matter takes some well-known conspiracy theories and has a bit of fun with them.

“The idea that we have a shadow government pulling the strings is one I have examined and Yellow Foam allows you to get an idea of how it all might work if that really is the case.

“It took a long time to research but I really feel it was worth it. The actual writing process was hugely enjoyable and I am assured, by those who have read it, it is a proper page turner.”

Mark, who also worked at the Yorkshire Post in the course of his career in journalism, also created a fictional national newspaper with a strong campaigning outlook which plays a pivotal part of the story.

“Obviously this is an area I know particularly well and it naturally becomes entwined in the story,” he said.

“I think people are fascinated with the media and how they might or might not be manipulated. The general public are gradually waking up to the idea that the government, the media and the authorities conspire to deceive them and that is also touched upon in Yellow Foam.”

Yellow Foam is available to buy for £3.92 and is available for download here.