A New York author has written a young adult mystery novel centered on Warren.

“Intercepted” by Jim Toner of North Tonawanda near Buffalo was released earlier this month.

Toner told the Times Observer that the book is “loosely-based” on a past theft ring in Warren. He said he was speaking with local law enforcement who gave some details of the operation.

He took it from there.

“My novel is loosely based on that particular case,” he said.

While Toner’s a public accountant during the day, this marks his fourth novel.

It was a childhood experience that got him into novel writing.

“When I was eight, I started to read Hardy Boys books,” he said. “I vowed when I was pretty young (that) I was going to write my own Hardy Boys books some day.”

While he lives in New York, he said his first memory is from Warren, visiting his great-grandparents who lived on East Fifth Avenue.

“Growing up, I visited Warren sometimes twice a year, sometimes once a year,” he said, “My wife and I got engaged at Kinzua Beach.”

And Kinzua Beach is one of several locations in the county that features in his new book.

“This is a young adult mystery containing the protagonist David Lindblade who has just moved to Warren and has started his own lawn service,” he said. A murder that occurs where the body turns up on the beach is just part of the story.

The book is available on amazon.com.