A Droitwich author has published the ”UK’s first Covid-19 murder mystery” – and the action takes place in and around the town.

Written during lockdowns, Lance Dune House cleverly uses the chaos surrounding the pandemic to hide a murder in plain sight, in a genuinely plausible way. The plot begins in 1977 but culminates in July 2021.

Along the way in this tale of envy, greed, revenge and fake love, the action takes readers to The Castle pub, Witton Middle School, St Augustine’s Church, The Spinning Wheel, Coffee No1, Waitrose, Crumps undertakers and many more locations that will be familiar with Spa folk.

Duncan says: ”During lockdowns in 2020, I started contemplating if Covid could present itself as an instrument for dark thoughts and desperate deeds.

”This in no way seeks to minimise the life-changing implications faced by many families resulting from Covid, but the reality of life is that all tragic events, from plane crashes, to 9/11 to the Grenfell Fire, ultimately find their way into art and literature.”

Lance Dune House is available from Droitwich Spa Heritage Centre and the Lido Park cafe or online here and 50 percent of profits are going to St Richard’s Hospice, which also features prominently in the book

​It’s not the first time Duncan has written a thriller based in Droitwich.​ Youthenasia,  a novel about teenagers being targeted by a serial killer, begins with a body being dumped in Hadzor Lane. Written in 2002 and formerly titled Out Of Control, it’s also a cunning 1980s pop quiz with 85 top 20 song titles to find.

In 2020, Duncan also published Keep Calm and Carry on Complaining, featuring examples of how to deal with awful customer service, including one experience from the Chateau Impney (see ‘buildings’). 

For Youthenasia, click here​ ​For Keep Calm and Carry On Complaining, with 20% off for Ooh Aah Droitwich Spa readers, click here