Former reporter turns to crime with first novel

Peter Bartram spends much of his day writing at his home in The Meadway, Shoreham.

His first crime mystery novel, Murder Splash, has been published on Kindle, and more are to follow.

Mr Bartram was a reporter on the Worthing Herald briefly before going to the London School of Economics, where he earned an honours degree.

Working as a freelance writer and journalist, he lived in Brighton for 30 years before moving to Shoreham Beach in 2010 with is wife, Jackie.

He has had 21 non-fiction books published in genres including biography, current affairs, business and how-to subjects, and his books include five ghostwritten titles.

A former leader of Adur District Council, Mr Bartram was the first Liberal councillor in Lancing and in 1981, wrote the biography of former Liberal Party leader David Steel, covering his life and politics.

Now he has launched his own crime series, the Crampton of the Chronicle mysteries, and set up a crime mysteries website featuring free short stories.

Murder Splash is an humorous take on the traditional detective novel. Set in Brighton in the 1960s, it features Colin Crampton, a crime reporter on the Evening Chronicle.

When Brighton’s Krazy Golf impresario goes missing, Crampton thinks it’s a non-story – until he discovers the disappearance is linked to an unsolved murder.

Mr Bartram said: “Colin is the kind of journalist who’s not content to report on crimes – he gets involved in solving them.

“He has high ideals about righting wrongs, but he’s quite prepared to stoop to any low scam to get his story.”

Mr Bartram is now working on the second novel in the series, Body Copy, which is due to be published next year.

There will be a special Colin Crampton Christmas short story available free at www.colincrampton.com