AUTHOR Alan Barrett has returned after a five year absence with a sequel to his book Shadows.

The new title From Shadows to a Darker Place picks up from the former Swindon resident's debut novel published in 2012.

Alan, 68, who now lives in Melksham says it took a little bit longer than he expected to finish his second crime fiction novel, but is happy with how it has turned out.

“I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I like to polish and polish a book, things get in the way and that is why there was a gap,” he said

“I’ve always wanted to write a readable book and then after the first one I wanted to see if I wasn’t a one trick pony.

“With the second one I didn’t want to write exactly the same thing, so I have followed it on from the first book.”

The story is centred around protagonist Detective Inspector Frank Crosby, who is forced out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of a £300m cache of heroin, after receiving a series of threats towards his five-year-old grandson.

The book costs £8.99 and is available in paperback or kindle from the publishers (Olympia), from Amazon, or can be ordered from all bookstores.

The 68-year-old, who only took up writing when he retired, refused to rule out a third book but thinks it would be difficult to create a trilogy.

“ I would like to do a third book, but I think I have killed off most of the characters in the first two, so there aren’t many left,” he said

“I don’t think I’ll surpass the experience I got from the first book because that was a first time thing and completely out of the blue.

“As this one has just been published I’m hoping it will get the same sort of reaction.

“I’ve learned a lot from writing the first one so I hope that I have reflected in the second and ramped it up somewhat.”