Ghostly mystery set in Westbury released by local writer

A Westbury man has published a supernatural detective novel set in his hometown.

Tom Bridge recently released Cerys: A Ghost Story, a supernatural murder mystery written from the perspective of Cerys, a border collie who helps uncover the truth after a man is found dead.

Tom decided to start writing books on Christmas Day 2024. He released his first book in June 2025, which introduced the character of Cerys.

“I used to write short stories as a little boy and started a book in my 20s,” said Tom. “The characters in that one were quite interesting but I couldn’t think of a plot.

“Over the next decades I did come up with plots, but the narrator was always some version of me, which seemed unsatisfactory. Then that Christmas Day I looked at my border collie and knew that I had found my muse. I have a full-time job completely unconnected with writing, so I write in the evenings and at weekends.

“I originally intended to write just the one book to get it out of my system, but one day I had an idea for the second one, again seemingly from nowhere. I tell people that I don’t think there will be another, but you never know when an idea will strike you.”

Tom’s new book is available to purchase from Amazon, alongside his first book, Cerys: A Dog’s Tale.