BAFTA-winning screenwriter and bestselling author Matthew Hall will be discussing his latest book, Totem in Ross-on-Wye later this month.

Mathew, known for his Jenny Cooper Coroner novels and screenwriting the BBC series Keeping Faith, is appearing at St Mary’s Church in Ross on Thursday, May 21 will be talking about his latest offering Totem.

Totem is a gripping legal and environmental thriller set in the rarely seen world of Canada’s First Nation people.

Set in the rugged forest wilderness of British Columbia, it is a tale of racism, exploitation and corruption based on the real-life treatment of this minority in a supposedly ultra-liberal country.

Matthew studied at Oxford University, where he graduated in law and became a barrister, before taking up his writing career by writing episodes for Kavanagh QC, starring John Thaw.

He also reflected on his background as a criminal barrister, to also created the only coroner in literary fiction in his debut novel, The Coroner, which was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger in 2009 as was his fourth novel, The Flight, in 2012.

His first original series, Wing and a Prayer, was nominated for a British Academy Film and Television Awards in the best series category.

In a screenwriting career spanning more than 20 years, he has won several awards including a BAFTA Cymru in 2018 for Keeping Faith.

Matthew has written seven novels and one prequel novella in the best-selling Jenny Cooper series.

The book talk and signing is a joint event for Rossiter Books and The Friends of St Mary's Church in Ross.

Tickets are priced at £8 for the talk, which begins at 7pm, are on sale at Rossiter Books in the High Street or by phone on 01989 564 464 and via ticketsource.com and rossiterbooks.co.uk.