A former paratrooper has released a new thriller set in a quiet corner of Wiltshire.
Phil "Ray" Palmer, who now lives in Wolverhampton, has published Rogue Officer, a novel that brings together military intrigue, family secrets and a deadly conspiracy stretching from Swindon to Majorca.
The story centres around an armaments factory in an old Great Western Railway (GWR) building, where a hidden cache of munitions sets off a chain of dangerous events.
Mr Palmer said: "I would imagine the avid readers of the area would like to read a thriller set on their door step."
"I use real names of the roads and the A road numbers."
The plot unfolds after the death of General Andrew Furness, whose son Rory, a disgraced army colonel living in Majorca, learns of a half-brother he never knew existed.
That man is Andrew 'Coxey' Cox, a Newcastle-born paratrooper currently serving with the SAS.
When Coxey inherits a share of the family’s arms business, he uncovers suspicious activity at the Swindon factory, managed by Gregory Fraser.
Fraser’s mysterious death draws in Swindon police, and the discovery of an unusual rifle in a locked room points to a deeper threat.
The narrative soon expands to include a hitman, a shadowy criminal mastermind known only as Zauberer, and the involvement of MI6.
A detective inspector from Belfast is also drawn into the case, adding further layers to the plot.
The investigation leads to Wootton Bassett and exposes a conspiracy that threatens national security.
Mr Palmer, who writes under a pen name, served 12 years with the Parachute Regiment before running a music business for 25 years.
Now retired, he has turned his hand to fiction and draws inspiration from his military background.
Among his achievements is a 2006 Guinness World Record for the longest sustained note on a brass or woodwind instrument.
A photograph from 1974 shows him waiting to jump from a balloon in Aldershot, capturing a moment from his time in service.
Mr Palmer said: "I would imagine the avid readers of the area would like to read a thriller set on their door step."
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