A BOOK of murder, mystery and intrigue is the latest offering from an author who lives in Lower Moor, near Pershore.

The Twisted Way, which starts during the Blitz and ends in the present day, is the second novel from Jean Hill, author of The Knave of Hearts.

The book was inspired by Jean’s experiences as an evacuee from London during the Second World War and the characters she met.

It follows the story of a young boy who is evacuated to live with a family in a village.

He vows to one day repay the kindness shown to him. Half a century later, he returns to the village and finds himself caught in the middle of an unexpected turn of events, in which greed, intrigue and murder feature strongly.

Jean only took to writing in her retirement – but she says she had always harboured a wish to write a novel.

Following her evacuation to the countryside, she won a scholarship at Mayfield County School for Girls and went on to enjoy a fruitful career working for a minister in Whitehall and as a secretary for BOAC. It was here she met her husband Michael, a hospital physicist, with whom she had four children.

When the children were older, Jean took a teacher training course and became the head of commerce at Stroud High School for Girls. It was while studying for an in-house degree in Sociology of Education and English that her interest in writing took off.

The mother-of-four said she thoroughly enjoyed writing her latest novel and she already had ideas for the next one. “I feel quite pleased with the book and I have had some very good feedback already,” she said.

The Twisted Way is available from Sedgeberrow Books in Pershore Market, Wayside Farm Shop in Wickhamford, Pello Bonito in Fladbury and amazon.co.uk.