THRILLER writer Cara Hunter likes to take a break from devising her disturbing plots by putting her feet up and watching TV.

But she doesn’t bother with Love Island – the programmes she selects to help her relax are true crime documentaries.

“My husband Simon comes in, sees what I’m watching and says ‘this must be for research,” said Ms Hunter, who lives in Oxford and is looking forward to her second novel, In the Dark, being published.

The author is still reeling from the success of her debut Close to Home, which focused on DI Adam Fawley’s investigation into the disappearance of an eight-year-old girl.

Ms Hunter added: “My first novel was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection, which gave it a boost, and I was living the dream when I saw posters for it on the tube.

“In the Dark is out next month and there will be a third book in the series out in January.

“Each time I am trying to develop DI Fawley’s character by exploring his home life – I think he’s likeable and not a maverick.”

While Close to Home was no easy read, it won hordes of fans and they have left messages of support on Ms Hunter’s Twitter feed.

Among those fans are established crime writers including Ian Rankin and Peter James.

Readers are likely to find In the Dark just as disturbing as Close to Home.

Once again set in Oxford, it features a woman and child found locked in a basement room, barely alive.

No-one knows who they are – the woman can’t speak and there are no missing persons reports that match their profile.

Ms Hunter acknowledged that the horrific case of Austrian Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter confined in a basement for many years, may have been in the back of her mind when she came up with the macabre plot.

Women readers will welcome the return of detective Erica Somer in the new investigation.

Ms Hunter added: “I know a lot of my readers are women and I like to develop strong women characters.”

The surname Somer has been chosen deliberately as it is an anagram of Morse, Colin Dexter’s famous fictional detective.

“Every time I write a crime story set in Oxford I remind myself that Colin set the bar incredibly high,” she said.

Ms Hunter is showing no signs of writer’s block and is 20,000 words into her fourth DI Fawley thriller.

She will be at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Broad Street on Tuesday, from 7pm, to read short stories with fellow author Nikesh Shukla. They will also discuss their latest books. The talk costs £5. In the Dark is published by Penguin, price £7.99 on July 12.