A Buxton crime-fighter turned author has published his latest novel, and the backdrop for the tale is the most unusual of places. The tiny Peak District village of Flash off the main Buxton to Leek road features heavily in retired detective John Swain's book
'A Surprising Legacy'.
The 300-page paperback is set at the end of
the 1700s and tells the fictional tale of a travelling man who lost his
home through the Enclosures Act. He finds a young girl who was living rough, takes pity on her and they want to live together.
The author
spent many of his 27 years in the police force as a Detective Constable
based at Buxton, working for Special Branch, before retiring in 1983.
John
said "While it is a book of fiction, it is based on a lot of fact and
includes many legends and myths associated with Flash, especially its
historical connection with counterfeiting coins. A lot of my time on the force was spent writing, but that was all fact, not fiction. I carried this story around in my head for a long time before actually deciding to sit down and write it."
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