A theatre has relaunched its book raffle to keep funds coming in during its Covid enforced temporary closure.

The winner of this week's raffle for the Astor Theatre in Deal will get a signed copy of Cry Baby by crime writer Mark Billingham.

The novel is set in 1996 and is the prequel to his acclaimed debut, Sleepyhead.

Detective Sergeant Tom Thorne is a haunted man. Haunted by the moment he ignored his instinct about a suspect, by the horrific crime that followed and by the memories that come day and night, in sunshine and shadow.

So when seven-year-old Kieron Coyne goes missing while playing in the woods with his best friend, Thorne vows he will not make the same mistake again.

The solitary witness. The strange neighbour. The friendly teacher. All are in Thorne's sights.

This case will be the making of him...or the breaking.

The Astor Theatre's creative director James Tillitt said: "This week marks the return of the Great Book Raffle, which ran for a few short weeks at the end of the year.

"There is no better time to curl up with a good book than now; the weather outside is awful and you're not allowed to go anywhere anyway.

" Time to crack open a new volume and shut out the real world for a few hours."

The book is signed and inscribed with a touching and relevant message from Mark.

Fellow crime writer Val McDermid, also with links to Deal, said: "Cry Baby is the perfect prequel to send us back to revel in Tom Thorne's twenty years. As if we needed reminding how good Mark Billingham is."

The Stanhope Road venue has struggled during the pandemic. From before the first lockdown when theatres and cinemas were advised to close with no financial assistance offered, to the strict social distancing regulations that mean most live events wouldn't be viable, the Astor has felt every blow.

But its worth has proven strong with members of the community rallying round. Since March they have contributed to its crowd funding campaign, artists have donated work for The Great Art Raffle and envelopes with cash and cheques have been posted anonymousy through the door. This means essential costs have been covered and thanks to the continuing furlough scheme nobody had to be made redundant in November as feared.

The raffle ends on Sunday, January 31. Tickets are £2. You can enter by clicking here

Read more: All the latest news from Deal