AN author has fulfilled a life-long dream after his first novel became an internet success.

Rupert Graceson, a member of Bennet House Writers’ group, in Darlington, has written The Repercussions of Decency, which has been realised online.

The story, set in the 1980s, focuses on a man who finds himself embroiled in a battle to stop a brutal attack on a teenage girl, and follows the character as he becomes the chief suspect in a police investigation.

Mr Graceson, who is already working on a Darlington-based follow-up to the story, said he was delighted his work had been recognised after previously receiving a number of rejections from publishers.

The book is available at amazon.co.uk