John Connolly on digital book tour

Best-selling author John Connolly has become the latest writer to adopt social media as a means of promoting his latest novel.

Connolly, who is behind a number of successful crime thrillers, including The Book of Lost Things and Nocturnes, has created a series of online profiles based on characters from his latest book The Whisperers, which was released in the UK today.

The writer hopes the marketing drive will allow users to connect directly with his infamous characters by using popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as blogs.

The characters will leave a trail of clues on the internet and Connolly will then attempt to continue the online detective game in real life by placing a final set of clues in a number of museums across the country.

Speaking exclusively to The Times about his inherent wariness of the internet and new modes of communication, Connolly said: 'I'll take a few more steps along that road to enlightenment about the possibilities of the Internet for authors; better that than to fall behind.'

However, he added: 'I still draw the line at Twitter, though. After all, I have to get some proper writing done some time.'

The Whisperer, which features the author's gritty detective Charlie Parker, is being tipped to be a bestseller this summer.

Foyles currently have a limited number of signed first-edition copies of The Whisperers available, all of which come with a 13-track CD of music selected by the author himself.