Hayfield veteran police detective's crime thriller is published following 'rollercoaster' few months

James Ellson - who was detective inspector for Greater Manchester Police - has been writing for ten years and had seven books turned down by publishers.

Forty-nine-year-old James spent 15 years working as a detective before leaving the force behind for a quieter life on his smallholding to write novels.

The veteran investigator’s book - a thriller called The Trail about a troubled DCI whose investigation leads him to Nepal and a dark conspiracy - was produced by publisher Unbound.

The company accepted James’ novel on the condition that he sold 450 copies on pre-order within three months.

He told how he achieved the target thanks to ‘incredible support’ from friends and family - even badgering his postman and two Tesco delivery drivers into buying a copy.

He said: “No-one has escaped - I approached everybody who has ever known me.

“I even went back to my old school where my headmaster bought ten books.

“They all got their copies about three weeks ago and I’ve had an avalanche of feedback since.”

James sent copies of the book to Paula Hawkins who wrote bestseller The Girl on the Train and Stephen Booth - author of the Derbyshire-set Cooper and Fry crime novels.

The former described The Trail as an ‘intelligent and pacy thriller’ while the latter called it a ‘stunning debut’.

James said: “Those reviews have given me a real shot in the arm - they’ve made me feel confidence in my book and to have them on the front cover is fantastic.

“I’ve now got people in the local area asking me to sign copies.”

Veteran detective James told how he had been working ‘very hard’ for months to see his work ready for publication - making multiple changes on the advice of his editors.

He said: “I was surprised how good they were because the book is now substantially better - I had laboured over it for years and I was amazed how much advice they offered.”

James - who admits The Trail’s main character DCI Rick Castle reflects parts of his own life towards the end of his policing career - said his book was as good as any crime thriller out there’.

However he confessed becoming a good writer had been a hard road and he had completed a masters degree to improve his skills.

He said: “I wanted to write the best book I possibly could and I wanted to get better.

“After doing the masters in terms of writing I’ve gone from non-league football to the Premier League.

“Now my big hope is to get picked up by an agent and a big publisher and have a writing career.”

James hopes to have The Trail’s sequel published next year.

The Trail will be published on February 20 and James will be signing copies at Manchester Deansgate Waterstones on February 27 at 6.30pm and Reading Matters Bookshop, Chapel-en-le-Frith, on March 7 between 12pm-2pm.