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:

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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

Freshly written every week just for you.

One email per week, 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.

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Postcards from the Edge of Dartmoor

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

At Heavitree Police HQ – Exeter

In Order of Rank, highest to Lowest. In the UK, becoming a detective is a sideways move rather than a promotion, so a detective constable and a uniformed constable have the same rank. The same applies to all the ranks whether in uniform or CID.

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Henry Goodrington

The ACC is a uniformed officer.

In CID (Criminal Investigation Department), plainclothes detectives

Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS) Mark Boyce

Something of a stickler, Boyce prefers to be referred to as ‘sir’.

Detective Superintendent (DSU) John Chisholm

Chisholm is usually addressed as guv or guv’nor. He could have his own office but prefers to have his desk in the main office where he can keep his beady eye on the proceedings.

Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Brian Wendell

A hands-on officer who is quite likely to turn up at a crime scene, Wendell likes his colleagues to call him Bri.

Detective Inspector (DI) Oliver Nicholson

Known to his colleagues as Ollie, Nicholson is a mild-mannered officer who excels in back-office roles. He is skilled in using the computer system HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System).

Detective Sergeant (DS) Patrick Reilly

Known as Paddy, he’s a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants copper who knows the streets.

Detective Sergeant (DS) Claire Baintree

In 1992 Baintree is based in Plymouth but drafted in to help Exeter CID.

Detective Sergeant (DS) Terry Gray

A career detective, Gray is an experienced officer who has transferred to Devon after many years of working in London as a detective with the Metropolitan Police (The Met).

Detective Constable (DC) Adrian Cove

Known to his colleagues as Ade, Cove is an experienced detective who might well have been promoted to DS, but during his earlier career he lacked ambition. He studied Sociology at university.

Detective Constable (DC) Jenny Hoggarty

A no-nonsense detective, Hoggarty has had to work harder than her male colleagues to prove herself in the male-dominated world of the police force in the 90s. Hoggarty likes to be known as Jen.

Detective Constable (DC) Timothy Spiller

Spiller served time as a uniformed constable before transferring to CID. Keen and with a strong sense of right and wrong, Spiller has a sharp mind. His colleagues refer to him as Tim. He is happily married to Shiela and fully intends to stay that way.

Uniformed Officers – sometimes referred to by CID as ‘uniform’

Superintendent Patrick Keeney

Sergeant Colin Goodwin

Goodwin works as a desk sergeant where he keeps close tabs on the activity at Heavitree. Like all sergeants in the UK police, he is referred to as Skip or Skipper.

Sergeant Phil Barker

Barker is the custody sergeant, meaning he oversees the custody suite (the area in which suspects are booked in and detained). The interview rooms are also in the custody suite, and these cane be used for the police to conduct interviews or for detainees to consult with their legal advisors.

Woman Police Constable (WPC) Francesca Donovan

A young officer, Donovan generally works with her uniformed colleagues but has been drafted in to help CID during a major investigation. In the 90s, inequality still existed in police forces, and WPCs were sometimes expected to fulfil supporting roles. The rank of WPC was eventually phased out, but the pace of change depended on the force.

Police Constable (PC) Howard McClintock

A young, keen constable.

Other Roles

Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCOs)

Head of SOCO Rajiv Ahmad.

Ahmad is a civilian, and as well as managing crime scenes, he coordinates the various experts and specialists who handle forensic tests and analysis. The tests are carried out elsewhere and under strict lab conditions, and cross-contamination must be avoided, so those specialists will never visit a crime scene. Ahmad previously worked in London for The Met.

In the Archive at Heavitree

Archive Manager Geoffrey Higgins.

Usually known as Geoff, Higgins maintains the store of records which includes notebooks, statements and so on. Many records were still on paper in the 90s, and there were also historic files dating back over decades.

Admin Assistant Sharon Little

An assistant in the archive, she works under Geoffrey’s supervision but is a forceful character.

At the Post-Mortem Examination (PM)

Forensic Pathologist Dr Helena Lishman

Dr Lishman will carry out a thorough examination of a body and try to ascertain the cause of death, and to understand the events leading up to death. To help in this, she will commission a range of tests which will be carried out under strict lab conditions.

Pathology Assistant Karen McDermid

Recurring Characters

Barry Leeman alias Mr Phipps alias ?

Leeman is a fixer who works for hire, but he’s also known to have carried out his own brand of vigilante justice.

Ronald Johnson – Ronny

An informant with many contacts, Ronny is also a community activist. He works at the Wimpy burger bar attached to a ten-pin bowling alley in Exeter.

The first book in this crime thriller series, Lawful Duty, can be found at books2read.com/lawfulduty

The second book in this crime thriller series, The Cutting, can be found at:

books2read.com/thecutting

More info needed?

If you’d like a glossary of police terms and slang from the period in which the novels are set, visit:

The first Devonshire Crime Thriller is Lawful Duty

If you’re a fan of British cop stories, hunt for it online

The second book in this crime thriller series, The Cutting, can be found at:

books2read.com/thecutting

This is not an exhaustive list of police terms and slang, but I plan to expand it.

Glossary

CID - Criminal Investigation Department, i.e. plainclothes detectives.

CPS – Crown Prosecution Service – they assess evidence and assess whether a charge has a reasonable chance of successful prosecution.

Guv or guv’nor - a senior police officer, in these stories, Detective Superintendent John Chisholm claims that title for his own.

HOLMES - Home Office Large Major Enquiry System.

Nick - police station.

PM – Post-Mortem Examination which will be carried out by a forensic pathologist.

PNC – Police National Computer.

Skip or Skipper - a sergeant.

SOCO - Scene of Crime Officer (The term CSI wasn’t current in the the UK in the 90s).

Police Ranks

In the UK, becoming a detective is a sideways move rather than a promotion, so a detective constable and a uniformed constable have the same rank. The same applies to all the ranks whether in uniform or CID.

Senior Officers

Chief Constable (CC)

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC)

Note: The CC and ACC are uniformed officers.

In CID (Criminal Investigation Department), plainclothes detectives

Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS)

Detective Superintendent (DSU)

Detective Chief Inspector (DCI)

Detective Inspector (DI)

Detective Sergeant (DS)

Detective Constable (DC)

Uniformed Officers – in my books, CID often refer to them as ‘uniform’

Chief Superintendent

Superintendent

Sergeant

Police Constable (PC)

Woman Police Constable (WPC)

In the 90s, inequality still existed in police forces, and WPCs were sometimes expected to fulfil supporting roles. The rank of WPC was eventually phased out, but the pace of change depended on the force.

I intend to add more terms to the list as I go on, so if there’s something you’d like me to add, please let me know by leaving a comment (all members can comment).

For a list of Principal Characters in the Devonshire Crime Thrillers visit:

For more info, articles of interest to keen readers and other book-related material, please consider subscribing. There are no paywalls on this site.