The first book in a gripping new crime thriller series set in Teignmouth is to be released next month.

Written by award-winning crime writer William Shaw, who grew up in the Teignmouth, the series will follow the fictional detective Eden Driscoll.

The first novel in the series, ‘The Red Shore’, introduces Eden, a detective inspector with the Met, whose life is upended after he receives the news that this sister has gone missing from her sailboat off the coast of Devon and that he is now responsible for the young son he never knew she had.

When his nephew, Finn, disappears from school, Eden realises something is dreadfully wrong. After Eden’s sister’s body is finally found, floating in the sea, local police rule her death an accident, but Eden isn’t convinced. She was an experienced sailor and would never sail without a life jacket. Eden starts searching his sister’s life for answers, and what he discovers changes everything.

William Shaw will launch ‘The Red Shore’ at an event at the Pavilions Teignmouth on Wednesday July 2 where he will be speaking with Orlando Murrin, author of ‘Knife Skills for Beginners’.

The launch, which takes place the evening before ‘The Red Shore’ goes on general sale, is free to attend although tickets must be booked in advance as places are limited.

‘The Red Shore’ is the first in a two-book deal that William Shaw signed last summer with HarperCollins imprint Hemlock Press.

When signing the deal, Hemlock publisher Julia Wisdom said: William Shaw’s combination of brilliantly realised settings, beautifully delineated relationships and highly intriguing plots makes him an exceptional crime author. I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to launch a series that promises to deliver on all three fronts: a stunning setting and suspenseful story, with a touching and emotional family bond at its core.’

At the time of signing, William Shaw said he was excited to be setting his new series in the part of Devon he grew up in and continues to love. ‘It’s a beautiful coastline, but it’s changing fast and there’s a great deal going on under the surface. That means there’s a lot for me to write about and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed creating a cast of characters to explore this world,’ he commented.

William Shaw is well-known for his DS Alexandra Cupidi books, which are set in Dungeness. He has been longlisted three times for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger, the Barry Award, The CWA Golden Dagger and the Golden Bullet.

Writing as G. W. Shaw, he also writes gripping adventure thrillers.

Before becoming a crime writer, William Shaw was an award-winning music journalist and the author of several non-fiction books including ‘Westsiders: Stories of the Boys in the Hood’, which is about a year he spent with the young men of South Central Los Angeles

He started his writing career in magazines and has been a journalist for ‘The Observer’, ‘The New York Times’, ‘Wired’, ‘Arena’ and ‘The Face’. In 2003 he was awarded the Amazon UK Music Journalist of the Year award.