Hounslow is the setting for a new crime thriller with echoes of a real-life mystery which divides the art world.

Isleworth Madonna is set in the fictional University of Isleworth , where Professor Gerrish Gray's reputation is threatened by claims the Isleworth Madonna, supposedly painted by Raphael, is a fake.

The plot thickens when Professor Gray discovers a corpse in the Snakenborg Gallery and finds himself caught in a web of intrigue.

The whodunnit is the first novel by Richmond -based author Anton de Moresco (a nom-de-plume for the writer, who is reluctant to reveal his real name), and it is heavily influenced by his academic background.

It is punctuated with footnotes and features fake reviews on the back cover, apparently from fellow academics, like the message from Michael Panjellicum who writes: "Perhaps Anton should stick to poetry".

Anton de Moresco, author of the murder mystery Isleworth Madonna

The premise of the fake Isleworth Madonna bears a remarkable similarity with the so-called Isleworth Mona Lisa .

That painting was discovered in Church Street, Isleworth, and is believed by some experts to be an earlier version of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous work, though not everyone is convinced.

Similarity to Isleworth Mona Lisa story 'a coincidence'

The parallels are even more remarkable when you consider Mr de Moresco claims to have only learned of the Isleworth Mona Lisa only after devising the plot.

"It's a whodunnit-cum-shaggy dog story, with many genuine historical facts mixed in with the fiction," says the 63-year-old, who works in publishing and has a masters in medieval studies.

"There are bits and pieces from my MA in there, and the idea is that it's virtually impossible to tell which bits are true and which are made up.

"I didn't even know about the Isleworth Mona Lisa when I started writing it, so the similarity is quite a coincidence."

For more about the Isleworth Madonna and to order a copy of the book, priced £7.99, visit the Tiger of the Stripe website .