FIGHTING crime leads Alloa born Adam Stark to the shores of the Forth, near Kennetpans, in the latest novel from Peter Carroll.

The Dunblane-based author, a former Lornshill Academy pupil, is back with his newest release featuring the tough law enforcer from the Mar Policies area – Stark Realities.

He said: “The story is a bit of a ‘whodunit’ with a few twists in there. It’s set in and around Alloa, with the usual dashes of violence and black humour all of my novels contain.

“In the last novel Stark lost his mother to cancer and, in this one, he’s struggling to come to terms with his loss and loneliness. It’s about him facing up to the reality of his situation – hence the title – and doing something about it.” Peter was birdwatching near the old Kennetpans Distillery when he came up with the idea of featuring it in one of his fictional tales.

He spotted how close the Clackmannanshire Bridge was and decided it should also have a prominent role in the story.

The construction even ended up on the front cover of the book, after the 46-year-old teamed up with local photographer Alan Gray.

Peter said: “I’ve known Alan for a couple of years. We met through our ice-skating daughters.

“I was browsing Alan’s website one day and saw the stunning photos he’d taken of the bridge.

“I couldn’t believe my luck; the shot was perfect for my book cover. I asked Alan if we could come to some sort of arrangement to use it and, thankfully, he agreed.” Alva based Alan – who is a member of Stirling District Camera Club and The Royal Photographic Society, where he attained licentiate distinction – has been taking pictures for a number of years.

He has photographed all over the country but believes the Wee County has some of the most diverse and beautiful scenery in Scotland.

And the 50-year-old was only too happy to team up with Peter for the novel.

He said: “I’ve read and enjoyed all of Pete’s books so I was honoured when he asked if he could use one of my photos on the cover of his new Adam Stark novel.

“The photograph was taken on 19 February 2013 at 7.40 on a very cold and frosty morning. The Clackmannanshire Bridge is an awesome feat of engineering and, as I always try to capture something different in my photographs, I wanted to show the bridge from a different angle but still retain its character.

“This was just one of these very rare mornings where all the elements came together – the mirror-like reflections from the River Forth and the subdued blue tone of the dawn light.” Stark Realities is now available as an ebook, with plans for a paperback version to follow.

It joins Peter’s other titles Pandora’s Pitbull, In Many Ways and Adam Stark novels Stark Contrasts and Stark Choices.