AN author has brought his troubled teenage central character to a crossroads in his young life in the third of a series of novels.

Arthur Clifford has charted the adolescent upbringing of John Denby, living between the cosseted comfort of his grandparents’ suburban surrounds in London and the less cosy environment of his parents’ northern home town, in the first two volumes of Far, Far the Mountain Peak.

Despite a mix of tragedy and trauma in his younger years, all the time battling with his so far undeclared homosexuality, his academic ability has flourished at a small private school.

In the third of the “Far, Far” series, Towards the Adult World, great things are expected of the now 16-year-old student as he enrols at the prestigious Stirling Academy.

The Newcastle-born author, who was educated at Rugby School and Newcastle University, has taught and climbed across the world, before returning to the North-East, now living in Durham.

His new novel, priced at £9.99, can be ordered from publisher, The Book Guild, and other suppliers.