Romantic novelist Jacquie Walton has kissed goodbye to girl meets boy stories and turned to a life of crime.

After writing 14 romantic stories for several publishers, Jacquie, 42, has now had her first crime novel, A Narrow Escape, published by Robert Hale.

Jacquie, of Cherwell Bank, Lower Heyford, near Bicester, said: "I think there is more scope for writing about crime than romance. For example, there are the private eye type of stories, then there are those that focus on forensic science and those about characters such as Inspector Morse or Miss Marple."

She has opted for a main character to drive the story along, a Det Inspector Hillary Greene, who lives on a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal at Thrupp. The tale begins when a body is found floating in a lock on the canal at Northbrook, near Kirtlington.

Jacquie wrote her romantic novels under the pen name of Maxine Barry, with the names taken from relatives.

For crime, she is writing as Faith Martin and has created the name again from a nephew and a great niece.

The book looks like being successful because her publishers have already sold the American rights and Jacquie hopes the British paperback rights will be clinched soon.

"I hope to write more crime novels centring on Det Insp Greene and set around this part of Oxfordshire," said Jacquie.