WHEN aspiring writer Robin Baker first visited the Five Valleys he thought it would be the perfect backdrop for one of his novels.


More than 20 years later Robin, who now lives in Spain, has published his third book, Caballito, which features some locations from across the district.


A former zoology lecturer, Robin took groups of biology students on field trips to Woodchester Park in the 1970s and 1980s.


"The atmosphere at Woodchester and its spooky mansion is incredible," said Robin, 69, who grew up in Wiltshire.


"As an aspiring writer, even in the midst of my academic years, I told myself that one day I would set a novel in the valley."


Caballito tells the tale of young anthropologist Max who discovers handwritten pages from a diary stuck in a book at a second-hand shop.


They were written by a Victorian woman who had lived with a stone-age tribe in the Amazon.


Determined to discover more, Max is dragged into a world of mysterious suicides, pagan sects, child prostitution and police harassment.


The search takes him to various locations across Stroud including Nailsworth, the offices of the Stroud Journal, the Rose and Crown pub in Nympsfield and Woodchester Mansion.


"The book is a story of love and mystery, travel and adventure, and hopefully also describes a lot of things people never knew about stone-age life in the Amazon," said Robin, who moved to Spain in 2002 with his partner and their three children.


Caballito by Robin Baker, published by Hard Nut Books, is available at £7.49 as an e-book from Amazon and other online retailers.