BROMESBERROW novelist, Keith McCarthy hopes his 13th novel will be extra lucky, and be the best seller he has dreamed of.

Dr McCarthy, who in his "day job" is a pathologist at Hereford County Hospital, has performed over 5,000 autopsies during his career, and medical knowledge both informs his writing, and is a welcome contrast from the intense routine.

He said: Medicine is not particularly creative, and writing is a release from the day job."

Dr McCarthy has lived in Herefordshire for eighteen years and has been a writer since a young age.

After attending St George’s medical school he obtained a research doctorate in molecular biology at the Institute of Cancer Research before becoming a consultant in Histopathology at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

One of his novels "A Feast of Carrion" is a murder mystery story about John Eisenmenger, a pathologist who sees many mysterious and horrific murders and finds himself in the middle of a horrific murder case by aiding the police in finding the culprit.

It was published in July 2003 by Constable and Robinson.

Dr McCarthy said: "Eisenmenger’s pathology background and his misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time created a series of nine novels. These books were all sold locally – as well as nationally – in Ledbury Books and Maps. A series of three more light-hearted novels – featuring GP Dr Lance Elliot followed."

Mr McCarhty'slatest novel, "Momento Mori" is a step away from his previous work. It tells the haunting story of Leo Bannister, an unknown artist who is completely lost after his wife Penelope dies. When the muses in Leo’s head begin to command him to commemorate her in a most terrible way, by somehow turning her into music, he embarks on a bizarre journey into darkness, dragging along with him his daughter, Simone.

His describes this novel, published by GWL, as a study in "devotion, death and dissection".

Dr McCarthy is married, to Judie, and the couple have three daughters, Isobel, Laura and Beth.