COLEFORD author Andrew Taylor is celebrating a record-breaking six weeks on a fiction bestseller list, with his critically acclaimed historical crime novel The Ashes of London.

The novel has been chosen by the Waterstones chain of bookshops as its ‘Thriller of the Month’ for January and again for February.

Andrew said: “A Waterstones’ manager told me that this had never happened before to his knowledge. I’m delighted. I’ve been writing novels for 35 years, and you can never tell which one is going to appeal to readers. Publishing is an art, not a science.”

The book was launched at a packed event at the Main Place in Coleford in April 2016 and the paperback edition came out at the beginning of this year. Set during the Great Fire of London, it involves murder and plots against the government among the smoking ruins of the 17th century city.

Andrew has won many awards for his writing, including the Crime Writers’ Association’s pres­tigious Diamond Dagger, given to mark an outstanding lifetime contribution to the genre.