A novel that was rejected 15 years ago has gained renewed relevance due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The manuscript for Lockdown was written by former journalist and BBC screenwriter Peter May, 68.
In the novel, London is imagined as ground zero for a deadly pandemic, with the plot revolving around a police detective investigation into a child's murder after their remains are discovered at the site of a temporary hospital.
"British editors at the time thought my portrayal of London under siege by the invisible enemy of H5N1 [bird flu] was unrealistic and could never happen - in spite of the fact that all my research showed that, really, it could," the author said.
The manuscript was abandoned and forgotten until a fan on Twitter suggested he write something relevant to the age of coronavirus.
"I thought about it for a minute before I realized I've kind of already done it," he recalled. "I told my publisher about it and my editor just about fell out of his chair."
