In response to Ellory, best-selling authors including Ian Rankin, ValMcDermid and Lee Child condemned "fraudulent" writers caught praising their own work on Amazon.
Their success mirrors that of so-called "Tartan noir" writers like Ian Rankin, ValMcDermid, Christopher Brookmyre and William McIlvanney, who have also used the detective genre to explore social themes.
"Loads of local people have put their money in, from best-selling authors like Ian Rankin and ValMcDermid to lots of local people who have had an interest in the club, " he said.