A novel which is due to be released next week explores the notorious Saddleworth pub murders which shook the community more than 150 years ago.

Sophie Parkes has announced her debut novel, "Out of Human Sight', is due to hit the shelves next week and is based on an old local murder mystery.

It covers an unsolved case dating 1832 where the innkeeper and his son are found "bloody, battered and unrecognisable" at The Moorcock Inn on Holmfirth Road.

The case has become a local legend story for people in the area and beyond across the decades with many flocking from across the country to Saddleworth to see the "blood-spattered pub" for themselves.

The Mossley-born author said she was inspired to write about the story when she moved to the area and came across the case, known locally as the Bills O'Jack's legend.

Ms Parkes said she spent a significant amount of time researching the known facts of the case and visited the permanent exhibition at Saddleworth museum though the book itself is a work of fiction and is her own invention.

The book opens with the murders at the isolated inn but goes on to explore what happens to the victims' family, namely the granddaughter and niece, Millie, and how she copes with increasing fame.

Ms Parkes said: "I'm not so much fascinated by who committed the murder, though the fact that it remains unsolved is certainly intriguing, I am more interested in how a young woman could be thrown into the spotlight and deal with such tragic circumstances in a small, isolated place, as Greenfield and Saddleworth would’ve been at the time.

"This is very definitely a work of fiction and I’ve created characters, landmarks and motives to develop what I hope is an enjoyable read, driven by realistic characters of their time.

"The real-world case provided what I see as a springboard for a whole new story that hopefully will still feel familiar for local readers", she added.

Though this is Ms Parkes' debut novel, the author has previously published a biography of musician Eliza Carthy and ghostwritten the autobiography of blind endurance athlete, Dave Heeley.

Ms Parkes is also currently studying a PhD in creative writing and folklore at Sheffield Hallam University and is the founder of Mossley Writers.

She won a Northern Writers' Award in 2017 and was recently invited onto 6Music to talk about her debut novel.

"Out of Human Sight" will be available in both paperback and ebook as of Thursday, January 26.