AN AUTHOR from Selby whose debut murder mystery won praise from the Historical Novel Society has released a second book.

Dawn Harris, a retired office worker from Thorpe Willoughby, made the top ten historical fiction list last year with Letter From A Dead Man, which introduced her detective character Lady Drusilla Davanish.

This summer, her second novel to feature Drusilla Davanish, The Fat Badger Society, has been released on Amazon as both an ebook and in paperback form.

Dawn said: "After my first book came out I was delighted with the independent reviews I received. In particular with the way the Historical Novel Society summarised my novel as, ‘A delightful murder mystery in an 18th century setting’.

"I got the idea for this book when I learnt that at the height of the French Reign of Terror in 1794, leading British reformers were thrown into the Tower because the government feared they were planning to overthrow the monarchy, and meant to rid the country of the aristocracy, just as the French had done."

The new novel sees Lady Drusilla summoned to 10 Downing Street by William Pitt, and warned that a man she expects as a guest may be a French spy. To uncover the truth, and potentially avoid a revolution in Britain, Lady Drusilla must put her life on the line.

The novel is a thrilling mystery, but Dawn said there were clues throughout the book if readers keep watch for them, and she had yet more original work on its way.

Dawn said: "I also have a book of 12 romantic, mystery and historical short stories, in a collection called Dinosaur Island.

"I have nearly finished a murder mystery set in the mid-1930s – this was my agent’s idea, she suggested trying a more popular era, and I have really enjoyed writing it. The run up to the second world war provides a great atmosphere for a murder mystery. I also mean to write a third book in the Drusilla Davanish Mystery series."