An American writer has released two books set in Bermuda for what he hoped would be the start of a murder-mystery trilogy.

The first two volumes of The Sun Sets in Bermuda are available at several select bookstores, including Brown & Co and at LF Wade International Airport.

Rider McDowell, the author, said the stories had the qualities of classic hard-boiled detective novels with the addition of dry humour and a tropical twist.

He added: “There’s nothing more fun than a bit of a murder mystery.”

The series follows the exploits of Sir Basil Cross-Knight, a Bermudian-born Scotland Yard homicide detective who returns to the island after inheriting a beach club.

The first book, Lend Me a Hand, follows Sir Basil working with police to investigate the case of a mutilated body found on his property.

The next instalment, Dark Paintings, charges him with investigating killings targeting the subjects of a famous portrait series.

Mr McDowell, from New Jersey, said that he used to visit Bermuda with family as a boy and “loved it” every time.

He held off returning until he was a married man, explaining: “It’s such a perfect place and I thought to myself, ‘This would be the perfect place for a murder mystery’.”

Mr McDowell said that he grafted many real-life Bermudian sites and cultural references into his novels, while turning to other landmarks as inspiration.

Sir Basil’s “rundown and potentially haunted” inherited inn, he explained, was the fictional Coral Cove Club overlooking the very real Elbow Beach.

Mr McDowell added that parts of his stories drew on personal experiences.

He said that he used to work as an investigative journalist and wrote about several crimes, including a series on the infamous Zodiac Killer of the San Francisco Bay area.

Mr McDowell said that many aspects of the fictional crimes had been inspired by the cases he covered.

He added that the main character’s love of investigation mirrored his renewed passion in writing novels.

Mr McDowell said: “When I graduated high school, I didn’t go to college — instead I wrote my first book, called Wimbledon, and it became a bestseller when I was 23.

“Afterwards, I went to work for a business and then later wrote plays and screenplays.”

He said that although he wrote two mystery books and three children’s books, he took a break from novels until starting The Sun Sets in Bermuda.

He added: “I hadn’t done it for so long that I forgot how much I loved it.

“I’ve written so many things, from plays to movies to articles and I’ve found it’s fun to pull from what I know.

“Every time I visit here, I find more things to write about.”