A former Mansfield newspaper reporter is making the headlines, having scooped a book deal for his debut novel.

After winning numerous prizes for his short fiction, Richard Hooton’s crime novel The Margaret Code is being published by Sphere in hardback, ebook, and audio on 10th April — with the paperback version set to follow in January.

The audiobook is narrated by BAFTA-nominated actress Maggie Ollerenshaw, who has starred in Open All Hours, Last Of The Summer Wine, and Coronation Street.

Born and brought up in Mansfield Woodhouse, Richard attended Leas Park Junior and Manor Comprehensive schools there.

He then studied English literature at the University of Wolverhampton before becoming a journalist, working at the Mansfield Chad from 2001-2004.

After leaving to join the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, and later the Oldham Evening Chronicle, Richard went to work in communications.

He is now a senior communications officer for Tameside Council, and wrote the book in his spare time before securing an agent and a publishing deal.

The voice-led whodunnit follows 89 year-old Margaret, whose failing memory holds the key to a murder investigation taking place on her street.

It was inspired by the author’s own relationship with his grandmother, who died with Alzheimer’s when he was a teenager.

Taking to creative writing, Richard joined two writing groups and began entering short story competitions to hone his craft and validate his writing. He went on to win competitions such as the Hammond House Publishing International Literary Prize and the Evesham Festival of Words Short Story Competition, as well as being shortlisted for the prestigious Bridport Prize.

The Margaret Code is described as a compulsive and charming crime novel where Elizabeth Is Missing meets The List Of Suspicious Things and The Marlow Murder Club.

It follows elderly Margaret as she attempts to solve the murder of her best friend and neighbour, Barbara. She is convinced Barbara entrusted her with a secret before she died, a secret now buried in Margaret’s ailing memory.

With the help of her grandson, James, Margaret sets out to recover her memory and investigate the crime. But soon strange things begin happening in her home. Her family are convinced Margaret’s illness is getting worse, but Margaret is sure someone wants her out of the way.

Richard said: “It’s a dream come true to have my novel published after many years of hard work to create it.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, in particular my agent, Sam Copeland, of literary agency Rogers, Coleridge and White, and editor, Rosanna Forte, and her team at Sphere, whose expertise and enthusiasm has been exceptional.”

The Margaret Code has been published in the UK by Sphere, an imprint of Little Brown; in America by Union Square and Co; and in Germany by DTV.

Sphere editorial director Rosanna Forte added: “Richard’s novel captured me from the first page. Margaret is the most compelling of narrators: witty, warm, perspicacious, and heartbreakingly vulnerable.

“Richard is a master at drawing complex and convincing relationships, and this, combined with a superbly twisty plot, makes for a crime novel unlike anything else I’ve read.

“Everyone at Little Brown has fallen head over heels for The Margaret Code and I’m very excited for readers to do likewise.”

The Margaret Code is available from Amazon or any bookshop.