A TENSE thriller set in Southampton will be published next month.
Seen to be Believed is the fourth instalment in the crime book series Butler and West by Louisa Scarr.
It features Southampton, Chilworth and Romsey among its locations.
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A mother and son are brutally attacked in their home, a crime which leaves DS Robin Butler and DC Freya West baffled – luxury items were left untouched and there is no apparent motive.
Investigations continue at the husband's firm. Its one-of-a-kind virtual reality software is valuable and could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.
Robin and Freya are stonewalled by a lack of cooperation, but when a woman linked to the firm is kidnapped, the need for progress becomes critical.
Louisa, a mum of one from Romsey, told the Daily Echo: "This is the fourth book in a series of five, but they are all designed to be read as a stand-alone. I had a lot of fun writing it.
"I worked at a firm similar to the one featured in this book and all the locations are places I've visited and been inspired by, whether it's my old student house in Portswood or a beach like Calshot that I imagine would be deserted on Christmas Day or even Leisure World and the now closed Odeon cinema.
"I've always been drawn to this genre. I definitely read more dark books than I should have when growing up. I'm really interested in forensics and love the investigation and pathology side of things.
"The books are very fast-paced and everything takes place in the space of about seven to ten days."
The first book in the Butler and West series was based in Winchester with a suspicious death at the Premier Inn in Winnall.
The second in the series got under way in a multi-storey car park in Reading.
Novel three was set in and around Portswood with a death on Calshot beach.
The will-they-won't-they plot between the two central characters will be resolved by the end of book five.
Louisa, who is originally from Salisbury, studied psychology at the University of Southampton.
- Seen to be Believed will be published by Canelo on November 24 with the fifth instalment expected next year.
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