A NEW Inspector Morse novel written as fan fiction will help to raise funds for a Colin Dexter statue in Oxford.

Friend of the author Dr Antony Richards, chairman of the Inspector Morse Society, has written Dead Man's Walk following encouragement from Mr Dexter, who died last week aged 86.

The society chairman, who runs a publishing company, knew the Oxford legend for about 30 years and the pair became firm friends.

Oxford-born Dr Richards, 54, never intended to be an author but in 2015, after Mr Dexter suggested he should try to write a novel, he began to work on the murder tale Dead Man's Walk.

Now he wants proceeds from sales of the novel to raise several thousands pounds towards the cost of a statue of Colin Dexter, an idea being supported by the city council.

He said: "Back in 2015, guided by Colin, I set to work doing a page a day first thing in the morning before work.

"Just as he instructed 'if you do a page a day then at the end of the year you will have a book'.

"Also taking Colin's advice I wrote about something I knew - Inspector Morse - and it soon occurred to me that there had not been any sort of a new novel for over 15 years.

"I soon came to learn that nobody can write like Colin an it would be foolish to try an do an imitation of his style.

"That said, I did try to keep some of the Dexter elements intact - short chapters and the quotes at the beginning of each."

Dr Richards, from Cambridge, will publish the tale under the pen name Antony James, a reference to his 10-year-old son James, and said the book features a special guest cameo.

He added: "Colin was given a copy of the novel - he actually features in it as a trainspotting truanting schoolboy."

Dr Richards submitted the murder mystery to Macmillan last year and said the publishers of the Morse novels did not object to the work being published as long as it was made clear it was fan fiction.

He intends to self-publish the novel in the next few weeks after Macmillan declined the opportunity.

He is certain his novel, to be published by The Irregular Special Press, will never be able to compete with his friends' books in terms of sales - the 13 Inspector Morse novels sold four million copies in the UK alone - but bookshops have already shown an interest.

Zool Verjee, deputy manager at Blackwell's Bookshop, said: "Colin Dexter's novels still sell very well so I think we would be interested in stocking this new title.

The title refers to the footpath near Merton College and the plot features a young Endeavour Morse in 1971, working as a sergeant in Oxford, who is called to investigate the murders of two men whose surnames match those of the Oxford martyrs.

No location has yet been decided for a Colin Dexter statue and a sculptor has not yet been chosen.

Possible locations could include spaces in the city centre, or possibly Summertown, where Mr Dexter worked and was a frequent visitor to the Dew Drop Inn.

Dr Richards added: "A life-size statue could cost about £25,000 and if we sold 500 copies of the novel initially that could raise a few thousand pounds to kickstart fundraising - there are about 400 members of the society and I'm sure lots of them will buy a copy."

In 2000, 13 million viewers tuned in to watch John Thaw as Morse die in the last of 33 episodes of the ITV series, which inspired the sequel Lewis and ongoing prequel Endeavour.

The Remorseful Day, the last Inspector Morse novel, in which the detective dies, was published in 1999.