STRICTLY Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas is stepping out to launch her new novel at Monmouth’s Savoy Theatre this Monday (November 18).

Dance to the Death is the latest in her Sequin Mysteries series, and the launch is bound to be a must for Strictly fans, who watch Shirley and the rest of the show every Saturday night in their millions.

Shirley Ballas is launching new novel Dance to the Death
Shirley Ballas is launching new novel Dance to the Death (Shirley Ballas)

The Queen of Latin has been dancing since the age of seven and is a three-time ‘British Open to the World’ Latin American Champion, 10-time US Latin American Champion, and multiple-times British National Champion.

By 21, she had won nearly every major title she competed in worldwide.

She is the only person to have ever won the British Open to the World Latin American Championships in Blackpool with two different partners and reached the finals an impressive 17 times.

Shirley still remains the youngest ever female to reach the ‘British Open to the World’ Dance Championship finals.

And she is now one of the top Ballroom and Latin teachers and adjudicators in the world and is delighted and honoured to be head judge on the BBC’S Strictly Come Dancing.

In her new novel, it’s Christmastime in London and all is not calm...

After solving a series of murders at Blackpool Tower Ballroom, all Lily Richmond and Susie Cooper want is a peaceful Christmas.

The last thing they expect is to find a dead body backstage at the Royal Albert Hall.

Even worse, the victim is one of Lily’s students, a trust fund debutante set to be the new star of the ballroom dancing world.

Lily and Susie set to investigating, but every clue throws up more questions, and around every corner lurk more suspects.

And along the way, familiar faces on the dance scene will make themselves known – some that ought to stay in the past.

Will the unlikely duo manage to wrap up the case in time to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones?

Or is there a greater danger behind the scenes than they could have imagined?

Shirley Ballas In Conversation about Dance to the Death starts at 7:30pm.

Tickets £12 are available from Rossiter Books www.ticketsource.co.uk/rossiterbooks/t-yaymxzr