A Canada-based author of crime novels set in Cumbria will visit the county for a talk on his most recent book in the series.

Jonathan Whitelaw, from Glasgow but based in Alberta, Canada, will make the 5000-odd mile trip to Carlisle’s Waterstones shop on April 15 for a talk which will follow the release of The Concert Hall Killer this Thursday (April 11).

The series started with The Bingo Hall Detectives and followed an amateur detective duo – Jason Brazel, an out-of-work journalist, and his mother-in-law Amita – in Penrith.

It came out in 2022, winning the Gilpin Hotel Prize for Fiction 2023 and was followed by The Village Hall Vendetta in May 2023.

Mr Whitelaw said the visit is ‘a long time coming’ and ‘really special’, and explained the forthcoming novel’s synopsis: “Jason and his meddlesome mother-in-law are back, and there’s a big TV show in Penrith.

“It’s one of these proper BBC 1 Sunday night 9pm cop dramas.

“The director, who is a bit of a tyrant, ends up dead, and the leading man ends up dead, so it’s up to our amateur sleuths to catch the serial killer.

“It’s my first serial killer, and you can only say things like that when you’re a crime writer.”

This book was ‘really good fun’, as Mr Whitelaw explained the opening chapter was written in a different style to which he usually employs.

The book is free from much of the graphic violence people often associate with crime fiction, and is described as ‘cosy mystery’.

He said the impact in Canada has seen readers ask him on the little things about Penrith and the county, the Lakes, and Ullswater in particular.

Having grown up in Glasgow, he often holidayed with his family in the Lakes growing up.

The choice came immediately to set the story in Cumbria, known for its dramatic landscapes, literary history, and scenic beauty.

Adding to this the award he won in Windermere has made him feel like a ‘pseudo-Cumbrian’.

“It feels like a home away from home, and readers in Cumbria have been very gracious about the series.

“It’s a real pleasure,” he said.

The book is due to be sold in Bookends and Waterstone, and online, while its North American release will come in the summer.

The event in Waterstones takes place int the café at 6.30pm, and tickets – available in the shop – are £3.