Actually, I’d love a tower, especially one of those hexagonal ones with a copper-clad dome on top and windows all around. What a writing room that would be, especially at night when the stars were doing their thing.

But back to the real world which is sadly towerless for the timebeing.

Thing One

The newly produced audiobook of A Study in Stone (2nd edition) will be released on November 19 2026 but can be preordered now on all good audiobook retailers, and it will be in libraries too, I believe.

Narrated by actor Thom Petty (no, not the pop/rock one who has no H in his name), the audiobook has been professionally produced by WF Howse who have been making audiobooks since the stories were on cassettes and you needed a box to carry them in.

Here’s a little video I made about it:

I’ve done my best to gather up some of the retail links into one handy page which you can find here:

books2read.com/astudyinstone

The second thing is that, much to surprise, the same company has built up a head of steam and got cracking with the second book in the series, Valley of Lies and that can be pre-ordered so you’ll get it in December.

For some reason I had trouble getting the audible links to work, but I’ve rounded up some of the others onto a page:

books2read.com/valleyoflies

Thank you for checking them out.

When are rest of the audiobooks coming? Well, at the moment, they aren’t. Hopefully, if the sales of the first two books go well, the company will want to produce more of them, so if you’re keen for this to happen, please help to spread the word. Thank you.

The third thing you may be interested in is the Stuff Your Kindle Crime Edition.

This is a joint promotion where lots of authors set some of their ebooks to be free (not just on Kindle - other retailers are involved too) and it lasts for one day only, in this case October 22, 2026.

I’ve included 2 of my books: A Study in Stone and Lawful Duty, so if you know someone who might enjoy reading those books for free, please share the news.

The link is here:

stuffyourkindlecrime.com

And just for fun, I made a video about that too:

That’s nearly all my things for the moment. The Rom-Com is being edited as I write this, but I don’t have a date for that yet, and not one to let the grass grow under my computer’s keyboard, I have dived into writing a third Devonshire Crime Thriller. Set in the 90s, these police procedurals are fun to write because they take me back to a different, and I dare say simpler, time in my life.

For me, the early 90s were busy. Mrs C and I were married, and that was wonderful (still is). Then I took it into my head to give up my career as a promising computer programmer and return to college for teacher training. That was another significant change and an exciting one. It would be a few years before our first son was born, so we were young and carefree.

But back to the darker themes any good crime novel must explore.

It’s 1994 and DC Spiller has been called up at home and dragged from his bed by the demands of his duty.

A dead body has been found in the woods and the three gunshot wounds make it clear somebody meant business. Exeter CID are on the case, so the team are all there, including a return visit for the glamorous DS Claire Baintree.

But this being a book written by me, there are other threads running through the story, so there will be plenty to keep the minds of keen readers like you occupied.

I’ll be sharing some advanced snippets for paying members over on my Patreon, but there’s always something for everyone on there, paying or not, so it’s worth a look:

patreon.com/michaelcampling

Last but not least, I’ve been adding a lot to my substack publication Postcards From the Edge of Dartmoor, which is about life here in Devon rather than about my books, and it includes video, articles, photos and a podcast:

Postcards From the Edge of Dartmoor

A writer's view of daily life on the edge of Dartmoor. Stories, landscapes, local characters, curious history and an air of mystery. A weekly postcard from Devon, delivered in words, pictures and sound.

By Michael Campling

Is that a lot? It feels like a lot, but I hope that you’ll find something you enjoy in this wealth of material.

Thanks for reading and take care.

Mikey C

PS

Subscribers can comment

Leave a comment

This is a thriller for adults so there is some profanity, and it’s set in 1992 so that context has some effect.

Please note that the sound quality is much higher in the audio podcast version.

Lawful Duty can be found online at: books2read.com/lawfulduty

If you’ve arrived here mid-serial, episode 1 can be found at:

If you’re enjoying Lawful Duty, you’ll want to know about the sequel, a darker thriller that takes DC Spiller into deeper waters as he chases down a serial killer.

The Cutting: A Devonshire Crime Thriller

books2read.com/thecutting

Thank you for listening and subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

I perform readings of the first book right here - here’s episode 1:

Or find the book online at: books2read.com/dialg

Reading along or reading ahead?

You can find Trespass: A Tale of Time Travel and Ancient Secrets via this universal link:

books2read.com/trespass

You can find episode 1 at:

It would be great to have you along, so please subscribe to the podcast and/or this substack. I’ll really appreciate any subscriptions, likes, shares and comments.

Leave a comment

Thank you for watching, listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

If you’d like to get photos from Devon with a bit of entertaining text to accompany them, please have a look at my author newsletter,

Postcards From the Edge of Dartmoor - freshly written content each week written to entertain you for a few minutes:

authormichaelcampling.com/pages/newsletter

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

I hope you enjoy it.

NB - Contains some mild profanity!

If you’d like to read along or read ahead, here’s where you can find the book: books2read.com/dialg

ICYMI Chapter 1 is here:

If you enjoy this serial, please consider liking, sharing, subscribing, commenting and so on - it will help to keep this thing going.

Leave a comment

Thank you for listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other SFF fans, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

This is a thriller for adults so there is some profanity, and it’s set in 1992 so that context has some effect.

Lawful Duty can be found online at: books2read.com/lawfulduty

If you’ve arrived here mid-serial, episode 1 can be found at:

If you’re enjoying Lawful Duty, you’ll want to know about the sequel, a darker thriller that takes DC Spiller into deeper waters as he chases down a serial killer.

The Cutting: A Devonshire Crime Thriller

books2read.com/thecutting

Thank you for listening and subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

Reading along or reading ahead?

You can find Trespass: A Tale of Time Travel and Ancient Secrets via this universal link:

books2read.com/trespass

You can find episode 1 at:

It would be great to have you along, so please subscribe to the podcast and/or this substack. I’ll really appreciate any subscriptions, likes, shares and comments.

Leave a comment

Thank you for watching, listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

If you’d like to get photos from Devon with a bit of entertaining text to accompany them, please have a look at my author newsletter,

Postcards From the Edge of Dartmoor - freshly written content each week written to entertain you for a few minutes:

authormichaelcampling.com/pages/newsletter

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

I hope you enjoy it.

NB - Contains some mild profanity!

If you’d like to read along or read ahead, here’s where you can find the book: books2read.com/dialg

ICYMI Chapter 1 is here:

If you enjoy this serial, please consider liking, sharing, subscribing, commenting and so on - it will help to keep this thing going.

Leave a comment

Thank you for listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other SFF fans, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

Lawful Duty can be found online at: books2read.com/lawfulduty

If you’ve arrived here mid-serial, episode 1 can be found at:

If you’re enjoying Lawful Duty, you’ll want to know about the sequel, a darker thriller that takes DC Spiller into deeper waters as he chases down a serial killer.

The Cutting: A Devonshire Crime Thriller

books2read.com/thecutting

Thank you for listening and subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

Reading along or reading ahead?

You can find Trespass: A Tale of Time Travel and Ancient Secrets via this universal link:

books2read.com/trespass

You can find episode 1 at:

It would be great to have you along, so please subscribe to the podcast and/or this substack. I’ll really appreciate any subscriptions, likes, shares and comments.

Leave a comment

Thank you for watching, listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

If you’d like to get photos from Devon with a bit of entertaining text to accompany them, please have a look at my author newsletter,

Postcards From the Edge of Dartmoor - freshly written content each week written to entertain you for a few minutes:

authormichaelcampling.com/pages/newsletter

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

There are plenty of gags in this episode, so I crack up several times. Hey, I wrote this years ago, so the jokes sneaked up on me, and I record these sessions ‘as live’ - Short of actually going live, which I shy away from because of my crappy rural broadband, this stuff is as authentic as I can get it.

I hope you enjoy it.

NB - Contains some mild profanity!

If you’d like to read along or read ahead, here’s where you can find the book: books2read.com/dialg

ICYMI Chapter 1 is here:

If you enjoy this serial, please consider liking, sharing, subscribing, commenting and so on - it will help to keep this thing going.

Leave a comment

Thank you for listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other SFF fans, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

Lawful Duty can be found online at: books2read.com/lawfulduty

If you’ve arrived here mid-serial, episode 1 can be found at:

If you’re enjoying Lawful Duty, you’ll want to know about the sequel, a darker thriller that takes DC Spiller into deeper waters as he chases down a serial killer.

The Cutting: A Devonshire Crime Thriller

books2read.com/thecutting

Thank you for listening and subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

and a newsletter worth reading

One email per month, reading time approx four minutes (long enough to enjoy while you sip your English Breakfast tea.

In addition, as a thank you for signing up, you’ll receive a complimentary collection of ebooks and exclusive content you can’t buy anywhere.

Sign up with the button below:

Get Free ebooks and More

NB - Contains some mild profanity!

If you’d like to read along or read ahead, here’s where you can find Dial G for Gravity

The above link goers to my store which is by far the best way to buy the ebook. But if you really want to use a corporate retailer, there’s a link on this item in my store.

ICYMI Chapter 1 is here:

If you enjoy this serial, please consider liking, sharing, subscribing, commenting and so on - it will help to keep this thing going.

Leave a comment

Thank you for listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other SFF fans, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

PS You can keep me doing these readings by upgrading your membership (and claiming a lifetime discount at: authormichaelcampling.substack.com/discount

Subscribers on this site get a weekly email with links to all the content from that week, so that’s a good way to keep up with everything in one handy email - and oh look, there’s a form for exactly that:

If you’ve arrived here mid-serial, episode 1 can be found at:

If you’re enjoying Lawful Duty, you’ll want to know about the sequel, a darker thriller that takes DC Spiller into deeper waters as he chases down a serial killer.

The Cutting: A Devonshire Crime Thriller

You can buy the ebook from today (12 May, 2026)

But Only direct from my store:

Support my writing by buying The Cutting direct from me on authormichaelcampling.com

Even better value - new ebook bundle

During the recording I realised it would be a great idea to offer a bundle of both ebooks on my store, so I went ahead and did it!

You can save 20% on the price of both ebooks (which were already cheaper than the big retailers), so here’s a handy link:

Save when you buy the Bundle

You may end up paying more on other retailers for the same ebook, and you’ll have to preorder the 2nd book so you won’t get it until June.

Comments are welcome:

Leave a comment

Thank you for listening and subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

PS You can keep me doing these readings by upgrading your membership (and claiming a lifetime discount at: authormichaelcampling.substack.com/discount

Reading along or reading ahead?

You can find Trespass: A Tale of Time Travel and Ancient Secrets on my online store at:

authormichaelcampling.com/products/trespass-a-tale-of-time-travel-and-ancient-secrets-ebook

You can find episode 1 at:

It would be great to have you along, so please subscribe to the podcast and/or this substack. I’ll really appreciate any subscriptions, likes, shares and comments.

Leave a comment

Thank you for watching, listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

PS You can keep me doing these readings by upgrading your membership (and claiming a lifetime discount at: authormichaelcampling.substack.com/discount

or f you prefer, you can send a mug of tea at: ko-fi.com/michaelcampling

NB - Contains a swear word!

Keen listeners will note that I was surprised to read out an F bomb in this episode. I tend to avoid profanity in my books, not because I’m prudish but because I think swear words very rarely add anything to the experience. These things are subjective, but I have a line that I draw.

In this case I was reading from an old paperback that I first put out years ago. In the newly edited version, the F-bomb has been removed.

If you’d like to read along or read ahead, here’s where you can find Dial G for Gravity

The above link goers to my store which is by far the best way to buy the ebook. But if you really want to use a corporate retailer, there’s a link on this item in my store.

ICYMI Chapter 1 is here:

If you enjoy this serial, please consider liking, sharing, subscribing, commenting and so on - it will help to keep this thing going.

Leave a comment

Thank you for listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other SFF fans, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

PS You can keep me doing these readings by upgrading your membership (and claiming a lifetime discount at: authormichaelcampling.substack.com/discount

Subscribers on this site get a weekly email with links to all the content from that week, so that’s a good way to keep up with everything in one handy email - and oh look, there’s a form for exactly that:

If you’ve arrived here mid-serial, episode 1 can be found at:

If you’re enjoying Lawful Duty, you’ll want to know about the sequel, a darker thriller that takes DC Spiller into deeper waters as he chases down a serial killer.

The Cutting: A Devonshire Crime Thriller

You can buy the ebook from today (12 May, 2026)

But Only direct from my store:

Support my writing by buying The Cutting direct from me on authormichaelcampling.com

You may end up paying more on other retailers for the same ebook, and you’ll have to preorder the book so you won’t get it until next month, but visit my store from the link above and you’ll find a link to other retailers in the description.

Read Along/Read Ahead

Similarly, you can find Lawful Duty on my store at authormichaelcampling.com

There’ll be a new cover on Lawful Duty from 15 May, so here’s a peek:

Comments are welcome:

Leave a comment

Thank you for listening and subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

PS You can keep me doing these readings by upgrading your membership (and claiming a lifetime discount at: authormichaelcampling.substack.com/discount

or f you prefer, you can send a mug of tea at: ko-fi.com/michaelcampling

There’s some very mild profanity.

The video was recorded ‘as live’ i.e. unedited, a straight reading with no breaks. I made mistakes, but I took a run up and did it again.

I hope you enjoy it.

Reading along or reading ahead? You can find Trespass: A Tale of Time Travel and Ancient Secrets at: books2read.com/trespass

You can find episode 1 at:

It would be great to have you along, so please subscribe to the podcast and/or this substack. I’ll really appreciate any subscriptions, likes, shares and comments.

Leave a comment

Thank you for watching, listening, subscribing, and a huge thank you if you share this with other book lovers, and here’s a handy button if you feel so inclined:

Share

Take care and happy reading,

Mikey

PS You can keep me doing these readings by upgrading your membership (and claiming a lifetime discount at: authormichaelcampling.substack.com/discount

or f you prefer, you can send a mug of tea at: ko-fi.com/michaelcampling

Spoiler Alert!

If you haven’t read Valley of Lies, or you haven’t finished it yet, looking at this list may spoil the story.

In a mystery, clues are everything, so please don’t read this page unless you’ve finished the book. Thank you.

The links were correct at the time of writing the book, so some may not work. If there’s a problem, please let me know:

Leave a comment

To read Valley of Lies, find it online at:

authormichaelcampling.com/books/valley-of-lies

Mad honey

https://healthywithhoney.com/what-is-mad-honey-is-it-dangerous-where-can-i-find-it/

https://healthywithhoney.com/rhododendron-honey/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grayanotoxin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron_luteum

Poisons

https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2018/mar/08/from-spy-novels-to-skripal-the-myth-of-the-untraceable-poison

Police procedures

https://www.inbrief.co.uk/police/police-entry-and-search-powers/

https://www.inbrief.co.uk/police/search-warrants/

https://citizensadvice.org.uk/

Beer

https://www.powderkegbeer.co.uk/

https://www.dartmoorbrewery.co.uk/

https://teignworthybrewery.com/

Surveying and contaminated land

https://www.mapir.camera/products/magpy-surveying-drone

https://www.mapir.camera/pages/survey3-cameras

https://avadaenvironmental.com/2018/09/21/contaminated_land_building/

https://www.gov.uk/contaminated-land

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/public-housing-built-on-arseniccontaminated-land-in-queensland-town-of-eidsvold/news-story/aa3b74811f026943a9280a5149a8fc6b

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3913097/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718348101

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969713013107

https://www.imwa.info/docs/imwa_2007/IMWA2007_Palumbo-Roe.pdf

Mining

http://www.combemartinmines.co.uk/

http://www.saps.org.uk/saps-associates/browse-q-and-a/622-lead-in-lead-mining-spoil-heaps

https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2018.00452/full

https://www.groundsure.com/news/abandoned-mines

https://www.mindat.org/loc-1526.html

https://www.mindat.org/loc-33723.html

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mining_in_Devon

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Haytor_quarries

http://classprojects.kenyon.edu/engl/exeter/Kenyon%20Web%20Site/Anna/mining%20insight%20pg.html

Mountain bikes and shoes

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/biking/electric-mountain-bike/specialized-turbo-levo-comp

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/biking/mountain-bike-shoes/giro-empire-vr90