LEDBURY author Suzette Hill sees her debut novel published this week - a quirky crime fantasy set in 1950s Surrey.

Suzette, who retired to Herefordshire five years ago, said although she had never had any desire to write a novel, the characters came into her head and wouldn't leave.

"They are all completely mad, and as there is a strong canine element, a crypt, churchyard and a dead body, I've called the tale A Load of Old Bones," she said.

The novel might be described as an exercise in refined mayhem in which, along with the bickering cat and dog, there is a clutch of shady clerics, an explosive bank manager, ladies of peculiar ilk, a rampant church organist, and a pair of none too bright plodding police officers.

Whether you are a parson, a pet owner, or someone looking for a piece of nostalgic fun, suspend disbelief and enjoy.

Copies are available from Hereford Cathedral shop and the SPCK bookseller in Palace Yard.

The paperback is published by Bear Books at £10 (ISBN 0-9550701-0-4).