A FORMER Lowestoft probation officer, who has used her inside knowledge of the criminal justice system to forge a new career as a crime writer, will be in town tomorrow to sign copies of her new book.

Mother-of-two Ruth Dugdall, 39, lived and worked Lowestoft between 1997 and 2000, advising and supervising offenders and gaining a first-hand insight to the workings of the police, court system and criminal behaviour. She then went on to work at Hollesley Bay Prison, near Woodbridge.

Now an author based in Felixstowe, she has already won awards for her debut novel, The Woman Before Me, a pyschological thriller which begins in Lowestoft.

It tells the story of a mother jailed over the death of her own new-born child – and her relationship with her probation officer, who must decide if she is genuinely remorseful or poses a threat to society as she approaches her release from prison.

Ruth will be at Waterstone's bookshop, London Road North, from 10.30am until lunchtime, signing copies of her book. On a previous visit last month, every copy was sold.

The Woman Before Me is published by Legend Press and costs �7.99.