Space Precinct star Richard James releases his first novel "The Head In The Ice"

Cookham-based actor, playwright and author Richard James has spent the last three and a half years touring the UK in stage productions based on the popular children's books of David Walliams, a journey that took him to the West End in the Olivier nominated Gangsta Granny and to London's Bloomsbury Theatre playing the title role in Awful Auntie!

Richard has also written almost thirty plays that have been staged around the UK and beyond with productions in places as far afield as Canada and New Zealand and everywhere in between.

Now he is releasing his first novel! The Head In The Ice is the first book in the Bowman Of The Yard series, and follows the investigations of Inspector George Bowman of Scotland Yard into the discovery of a severed head in the frozen waters of the River Thames in 1892. The Head In The Ice is the first of four novels, each of which are stand alone investigations, but all of which together follow George Bowman through a year of investigations whilst coming to terms with the brutal death of his wife - a death for which he blames himself.

The Head In The Ice is described as 'A genuinely impressive debut' by Andrew Cartmel, author of the Vinyl Detective series, and will be available in paperback and eBook for all eReaders from June 4th. It can be found online at www.bowmanoftheyard.co.uk.

The second book in the series, The Devil At The Dock, will be on sale from July 2nd.