A LOCAL author famed for his Sherlock Holmes novels has dedicated his latest book to his home town.

David Ruffle will release his latest book, A Twist of Lyme, on March 3 and it will herald a new genre for the writer, who has drawn from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

It will focus on a family of four, called the Hamiltons, who have moved from London to Lyme Regis and will take a comedic look at how they adapt to living in Lyme Regis compared to the capital.

Mr Ruffle explained his decision to move further away in genres.

He said: “It was just a case of wanting to try something different to see if I could write it.

“I started writing it straight after finishing The Abyss which was about The Ripper, and I thought I would try and do something completely different.

“It was more challenging than writing my other novels.

“Before, when writing my Sherlock Holmes stories and the Ripper stories, I was always using someone else’s characters, but in this book, they are my own characters that I’ve thought of, which gives me a bit more freedom.”

It is the first time Mr Ruffle has written a contemporary novel. Through its fragmented narrative, the reader will learn how a couple in the story met, a few important moments in their early lives and the decision to move to Lyme Regis.

Mr Ruffle added: “I used Lyme Regis as the setting because not only do I think it provides a good comedy base when mixed with the family moving into the town, but all the places used in the book are ones that I know.

“The family lives in an old house near Colway Lane, but the exact address is never given, because when you are writing Sherlock Holmes you can use exact locations, but when writing in the present day you can’t use exact locations because it might offend people who are living there.”

The book is published by MX Publishing and will be available locally at Serendip Bookshop, Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre and also at Uplyme Stores.