In his latest collection of true crime stories, best-selling author Mark Bridgeman turns his lens to Dorset and Devon as he examines the dispensing of justice along the Jurassic Coast.

Through a series of 21 illuminating chapters, Mark looks at cases of justice – and injustice – from the perspective of victims, villains, jurors, judges, barristers, and bystanders. 

Mark explained: "I've asked the intriguing question, 'was justice served?' in a series of highly interesting and emotive cases from Devon and Dorset's dark past. Jurassic Coast Justice features stories covering everything from gruesome murder, to ghosts, and even an argument over a cup of tea!"

The author's previous two titles, Blood Across The Water and Perthshire's Pound of Flesh, have been huge favourites, with the latter being a Waterstones' Regional Book of the Year. His book The Nearly Man was also nominated for the James Tait Black Biography Prize.

He commented: "Jurassic Coast Justice was a chance to return to my West Country roots and delve under the skin of the counties' acute sense of social injustice and awareness, amply illustrated in the stories I've chosen, which range from the Tolpuddle Martyrs to a storm in a teacup – with plenty of dark murder mysteries in between."

Mark, who is a member of the Thomas Hardy Society in Dorchester, also managed to find a place for his literary hero in the book.

He said: "Thomas Hardy, who himself had a keen sense of injustice in society, finds himself thoughtfully woven into almost every chapter in the book, as are a couple of hugely interesting legal heavyweights from the past, who manage to make cameo appearances along the way.

"I hope everyone enjoys reading the unfolding stories in Jurassic Coast Justice as much as I enjoyed putting the book together."

Jurassic Coast Justice will be released on May 25, published by Watermill Books Ltd, and will be available at bookshops throughout the West Country. The book can be pre-ordered now online from most online retailers.

For more details visit the website www.markbridgemanauthor.co.uk