A new book from a debut author has been awarded the 2018 Indie Reader Discovery Award for Popular Fiction. Judges included notable publishers, agents, publicists and bloggers.

The story by Bevan Frank, from Bushey, centres on a mysterious black box, known in the science world as a random event generator. Amidst the fiction, it looks at the true impact of this device by major global events, including a lot of detail about the impact on the box as a result of Princess Diana’s funeral.

In a complete coincidence, the book begins with a quote by philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, which Bishop Michael Curry also quoted at the Royal Wedding or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.

The Mind of God involves an unfolding terrorist plot in Cape Town while the president of the USA visits.

Bevan says: “Part of my aim in setting my thriller in Cape Town was to expose international audiences to Cape Town and South Africa.”

It has previously won another award -the Judges’ Choice Award at the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards in the USA. The book was also a finalist at Killer Nashville for Best Thriller and Best Fiction First Novel.