AN ANDOVER man has released his debut novel, inspired by the “dry humour and determined resilience” shown by people during the pandemic.

Ed White, who lives in the Burghclere estate, has always been a big fan of the Mystery Thriller in all its forms, and decided to approach his first novel with the accent firmly on humour and originality.

The story, entitled The Whirligig of Time, follows protagonist Frampton Quigg who may, or may not, be the world’s best Private Detective.

He is attempting to rebuild his reputation after what is generally seen as the mis-handling of a previous, high-profile case that ended with multiple casualties and the near destruction of an idyllic English village.

A man of independent wealth, he has resumed his career from a converted Fish & Chip Shop in a sleepy seaside town.

He is certainly the world’s least conventional Private Detective, fully utilising tools as diverse as weaponry provided by a lost tribe of Guatemalan Indians and the near-visionary insights of his associate, Desirée.

In this case the action rages across the whole of England before climaxing in a major attack on the world’s largest music festival, The Whirligig.

Set in a time that is immediately pre-Covid, Quigg finds his strongest support comes from those who have the greatest respect for nature; whether they be in South West England or the deepest South American rainforest. These are dangerous times and the cool and collected Quigg is taken by surprise when romance enters the equation.

Ed told the Advertiser: “In writing The Whirligig of Time I was driven by the sense that the world was ready to laugh again but my inspiration was the dry humour and determined resilience of people throughout South and South West England.”

The 66-year-old added: “Like many now reaching my age, I’m deeply interested in current popular culture. Hence the appearance of such things as computer gaming and Music Festivals in the novel!”

The novel was released on September 28, and Ed said he celebrated with “a very nice meal” at The Anton Arms, and a bottle of champagne.

The Whirligig of Time is available at Amazon, with the paperback edition priced at £8.99 and Kindle version at £2.99.