Maldon provides the backdrop to a murder mystery writer’s debut novel.

Steve Bartington’s Essex Man Blues centres around blues fan Dave Hunter, who finds a vinyl record by a singer called Bobby Fulton, who went missing in the late 1970s.

Dave’s interest in Bobby leads him to investigate and as a result he finds himself living a life of crime.

Along the way, he discovers a crime group that steals shipments and run to the border use a yard in Maldon as a base for their operation.

The book is Mr Bartington’s first novel.

He said he would like to see a copy of the book “in every home” across the whole of Essex.

He said: “Tough guys don’t go out of fashion and neither do heroes. My character is both.

“A friend of mine thinks this should be made into a film starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

“I think my friend might be crazy, but it’s a nice idea.

“Some people only listen to rock music and only watch action movies.

“These are the people who will enjoy Essex Man Blues.”

The novel is available now in paperback and on Kindle.