An author has used his home town as inspiration for his first novel.

Death Of A Painter by Medway-born comedy writer Matthew Ross is set in the Towns he called home.

The first in the planned series follows the life of "beleaguered builder" Mark Poynter.

When Mark discovers a murder on his work site, all of his financial problems suddenly seem a lot closer to home: was this a warning his debts are overdue?

Suspected of being the killer, and worried he might have been the intended victim, the murder only makes Mark's money problems worse, leading him to turn to the local villain, Hamlet, who has his own unique repayment plan in mind for Mark.

When two more deaths plunge him even further into debt, Mark finds himself faced with a choice; help the police and clear his name, or help the villain and clear his debt.

Matthew is a Gills fan and attended the Howard School in Rainham and MidKent College.

Having tried his hand at stand-up, he moved on to writing for a leading comic for their appearances on Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You and The News Quiz, and for various comedy series on BBC Radio 4.

Matthew's book is available to pre-order now, and will be released by publisher Red Dog on Monday, April 27.

Read more: All the latest news from Medway