A NEW crime thriller set in Ayrshire and published by a local firm has hit the area’s bookshelves.

Dead Man Walking is the first venture into fiction for author Ian McMurdo, whose previous works include books on the history of Cumnock Juniors FC and on the 1950 disaster and subsequent rescue at the Knockshinnoch Castle colliery in New Cumnock.

Ian, a former director of education, has now retired and lives with his wife Nan and their two dogs in the village of Kildonan on the southernmost tip of the island of Arran.

The book tells the story of young student, Ricky Anderson, who appears to have the world at his feet.

He is a budding nuclear physicist par excellence, has rugged good looks, a gorgeous girlfriend, job offers aplenty – in fact, he has it all.

Well, almost all. His beloved mother has lost her way in life ever since the heartbreaking day when her husband lost his life in a horrific road traffic accident, and her life is spiralling out of control.

Now the mixed fortunes of mother and son are about to meet head-on in another devastating ‘car crash’, as Ricky goes on the run for a crime he didn’t commit and with a whole cast of cops, corrupt politicians, seedy businessmen and ruthless underworld enforcers on his trail.

Can Ricky outwit his pursuers and prove his own innocence, or is he really a dead man walking?

The book is set in the 1970s, and readers will enjoy the memory of place and events of the time.

Starting at the fictional village of Glenside, loosely based on New Cumnock, the story sees Ricky in Ayr, Cumnock, Glasgow, Girvan, and on the run in the Galloway Forest.

Speaking on his journey to crime-writing Ian said: “I suppose I felt that I was becoming a bit too familiar and comfortable with the formulaic processes and intensive research involved in writing factual accounts about real situations and real events.

“Then one day I just made the decision to fly by the seat of my pants, trust my imagination instead and think outside the box.”

Like all of Ian’s previous books, Dead Man Walking is published by Auchinleck-based Carn Publishing. It’s available at carnpublishing.com/DMW, Waterstones in Ayr, Amazon, and any bookshop.