TAUNTON author Les Finlayson has written his first novel.

It is a crime thriller called ‘By which we are judged’.

The blurb on the back of the book says: “Three missing people, one man connects them and he can’t explain why it’s him.”

The man having a bad day and the man in the frame is Detective Inspector Lucas Cornelius.

His latest trail has collapsed, his home is a mess and now he is doing a missing persons report from an eccentric old woman, who seems to know a lot about him. A body is discovered and the investigation closes in on Cornelius - he becomes the number one suspect

Les had his eureka moment while in the garden.

He said: “I was cutting the leylandii trees that border our house, and I wrote the first 25,000 words before passing them to my wife for her initial thoughts.

“If she had said ’don’t give up the day job’ I would have stopped it there and then, but she encouraged me to carry on, reading each chapter as the book developed.”

Les explained he did not set out to write a crime novel, but it is the type of book he enjoys so once he started writing, he was away.

Speaking to Les, I asked him why he wanted to write a book when he had showed no burning desire to do so throughout his working career with Somerset County Council.

Les, who was at the council for 27 years, worked in Adult Education, Childcare, Children’s Centres and Property Services.

He said: “I am satisfied I have done it and I am happy with it. I have been happy with it to let go of it and now I hope the second and third (it will be a trilogy) will be up to the same standard.

“This was something I wanted to do for me. I didn’t have to do it, I wanted to do it.

“When I do shuffle off this mortal coil then my obituary will say the word ‘author’ which will signify a degree of creativity, which would be quite nice.”

Maybe reflecting on the title of the novel ‘By Which we are judged’ it gives an indication of Les’s of how he wishes to be judged as well.

By which we are judged is self-published by Les and costs £6.99.