A detective has used his 30 years experience in the force as inspiration for his debut novel.
Former Detective Roger Price, who served on the beat in Accrington and Great Harwood, has penned a book inspired by his time working in undercover operations.
Crime thriller By Their Rules has proved such a success that the rookie author has already written the follow up, A New Menace.
The father-of-two, who now lives in Preston, starting his career in Accrington in 1979 and retired as a detective inspector in charge of a covert unit.
After retiring, Roger was keen to carve out a new career as an author.
He said: “Writing is something I have always dabbled with but never had the time to commit to properly.
“I retired from the force in 2008 and did some private work, but then sat down and started writing properly. It took about a year to write and another year to find a publisher.”
Roger’s varied career has seen him lead Preston C.I.D and serve on the Regional Crime Squad and National Crime Squad, jobs which took him across Europe and to the Far East.
But he is most proud of his work leading a covert drugs unit targeting street dealers in Hyndburn and Rossendale.
He said: “Covert operations are where undercover officers are sent out as addicts to buy drugs off street level dealers leading to their arrest. I’m really proud of that because it’s still producing results.
“That’s where most of my experiences came from and really informed my writing. I’ve tried to stick to a subject I know.”
Roger, who is currently working on a third book, will field questions at an author’s talk at Great Harwood Library, on Wednesday, March 12, at 2pm.
Signed copies of By Their Rules will be sold at Pam’s Bookend Bookshop, Queen Street, Great Harwood.
