Wigan author releases second novel of the summer.

Frank Malley, 68, worked as a young reporter for the old Evening Post and Chronicle, based at their Brock Mill offices in 1980.

He has since moved to Willington, a village near Bedford, but still has fond memories of his home town.

Forty years later his release If it Looks Like a Duck is a quirky murder mystery, seen through the lens of a local newspaper.

In it, a young and tenacious reporter decides that a body found in a river is not what it seems.

Deemed a suicide, the journalist launches her own investigation and begins to uncover a web of intrigue.

Frank said: “Much of my inspiration came from stories I reported at the Post all those years ago. Wigan has always been a newsy area. I covered several murders and suicides, one body found in the canal at Haigh, others in rivers or flashes in the area.

"There were also quirkier stories such as the Whelley man who fashioned dog shapes out of cigarette packets. I still have one 40 years later”

The book takes it quirky feel from some of these tales, as well as highlighting the struggles that local newspapers faced with the digital revolution.

This is the second novel of Malley’s to be released this summer and the second in The Lexford Town Mystery series.

Originally from Wallgate, the former reporter lived in Whitley Crescent for many years, following his time on the Post, he went on to work for the Daily Express in London.

Also a former student at St John Rigby College he has released a Wigan rugby book titled Simply the Best – royalties from this have gone to the Joining Jack charity and continue to do so.

Frank said: “The latest book was delayed due to publishing problems caused by covid while the other book, The 13th Assassin, was released by a different publisher. They were written two years apart but just happened to come together at the same time."

Royalties from the releases go directly to the Primrose Cancer Charity, If it Looks Like a Duck will be available from Amazon. paperback £7.99 and Kindle £2.99.

Mr. Malley said: “I signed a three-book deal with Sharpe Books earlier this year, the 13th Assassin was the first and the others, darker and grittier than the current novel, should hit the shelves next year.”