THE author of a bestelling series of fantasy thrillers set in London has taken his hero out of the capital, his comfort zone, and dropped him in deepest Herefordshire for the fifth novel in the series, Foxglove Summer.

The novel sees PC Grant looking for missing children. And missing London.

"It was a couple of things," says Ben, in answer to why he chose to send Grant to Herefordshire. "I was looking for an area that's decidedly rural, but not northern, to avoid the north-south thing, and it couldn't be Scotland or Wales for the same reason. It had to be English, but southern enough, which narrowed the choice.

"Herefordshire is one of the most beautiful counties in a very traditionally countryside way. It's not ruggedly beautiful - it's beautiful in a 'little towns tucked into folds in the landscape, country farming' kind of way. It's also very hard to get to," adds Ben, a non-driver, "which I find hilarious.

"And it's full of all the stuff you want in a book," he says, "the folklore," revealing that, like Herefordshire's own Phil Rickman, Ella Leather's book of folklore was a go-to piece of research material.

"I also learned a lot talking to taxi drivers," he says. "They were great, and told me lots of stuff I'd never have found in books."

Like his hero, Ben is unlikely to transplant himself to the country. "I like the countryside and I like it to be there, but I'm a proper Londoner."

In Foxglove Summer, Peter Grant finds himself in a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what's more, all the shops are closed by 4pm.

Unlike Peter, Ben's experience of the local police was positive: "West Mercia police were very helpful," he reports, "My publishers didn't want me to take Grant out of London, but I thought he needed to be taken out of his comfort zone.

Safely back in London and working on book six, focussed on Tyburn and the hanging tree, Ben reflects on his rural experience:

"It's hard to think of a bad thing to say about Herefordshire."

Foxglove Summer is published by Orion Books, £14.99. Kindle edition, £7.49.

To purchase a signed copy of Foxglove Summer, visit Ledbury Books and Maps.