A TEIGNMOUTH RNLI volunteer has won one of Cornwall's most prestigious literary awards with a historical mystery inspired by a remarkable true story – just as his latest novel has been published.

Jason Mann, who writes under the pen name J.H. Mann, received the Holyer an Gof General Fiction Award for The Silver Tide, a novel set in a 19th-century Cornish fishing community.

The book tells the story of a fisherman’s daughter whose family is lost in a devastating summer storm before she helps establish her community’s first lifeboat.

The award-winning novel was selected from a shortlist featuring romance, crime and historical fiction. Judges praised its compelling storytelling, meticulous historical research and vivid portrayal of life in a Cornish coastal village.

Mr Mann has volunteered with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Teignmouth for the past five years in a shore-based role.

He said his experience with the charity played an important part in shaping the novel.

‘My years with the lifeboat service have deepened my appreciation of the courage of the lifeboat crews and the sacrifices made by coastal communities’, he said.

The literary success comes as Mr Mann celebrates the publication of his fourth novel, House of Twisted Shadows, a gothic mystery set during the harsh winter of 1962.

The novel follows Amelia Tremayne, a young woman who returns to a remote clifftop house determined to uncover the truth behind her father's mysterious death a decade earlier.

Like The Silver Tide, the story draws inspiration from real events.

This time, the setting was inspired by Knowstone Manor, a mysterious Devon mansion built in 1934 for a wealthy German bachelor who acquired a vast surrounding estate before the Second World War.

‘It’s been an extraordinary few weeks for me,” Mr Mann said. ‘Winning such an important award and then seeing my fourth novel published has been incredibly rewarding.

‘House of Twisted Shadows was inspired by one of the most remarkable true stories I have ever encountered. To describe it as stranger than fiction is no exaggeration’.

Knowstone Manor has long been the subject of local intrigue.

According to historical accounts and local rumours, the house featured an enormous glass dome, an advanced lighting system allegedly capable of signalling enemy aircraft and a secret passageway.

Aerial photographs also suggested the building's layout resembled a swastika.

The manor was almost completely destroyed by fire in the 1960s, with little of the original building surviving.

Among the items reportedly recovered from the site was a spoon bearing a swastika engraved on its handle.

Mr Mann said the unanswered questions surrounding the property immediately captured his imagination.

‘I knew immediately that I had found the setting for what would become my fourth novel’, he said.

‘The house in my story shares many of the features of the real house, including the vast glass dome.

‘As a journalist, I have always been fascinated by stories that leave unanswered questions, and Knowstone Manor was exactly that.

‘Every new piece of research uncovered another mystery, and I soon found myself imagining what might have happened if some of the rumours surrounding the house were true’.