An exciting adventure crime novel is now on sale by a retired professor from Hatfield Broad Oak.

David Smith, 71, who has been a keen author for around ten years, has penned Chasing Cloud: A Tarxian Novel.

It is about a Maltese temple priest who finds himself embroiled in the mystery of a disappeared girl, and finds himself on a journey to Sicily with a young sculptor.

This is the first full length novel he has published, because he has mostly been writing short stories.

He said: “It’s great fun and I am really into it.

“The idea really came because we went on holiday in Malta and I didn’t know much about the place, it but I discovered they have the most phenomenal temples.

“They are proper standing temples and I am fascinated by them – there are these oracle rooms and places for sacrifice.

“I got absolutely fascinated by it and so I thought let’s have some fun and write a book.”

It is available from Amazon, from the book publisher The Book Guild, and from Brett and May’s in Dunmow.

David used to be a professor of sociology at Middlesex University.