STROUD writer Dan Glaister has released a new novel inspired by the bizarre true story of a fatal duel that took place in Stroud more than 200 years ago.

The incident, which happened on August 14, 1807, is believed to be one of the last fatal duels that took place in the UK.

When Dan moved into a very old house in the Five Valleys, he found a box full of sheets of parchment dating back hundred of years.

Among the papers was a hand-written account of the duel that took place in a field across the valley.

Taking the box of papers as a starting point for his debut novel, Dan has created an eerie and macabre tale of obsession.

Entitled A Melancholy Event, it is available at Stroud Bookshop and online at £9.99.

Dan Glaister has previously worked at the Guardian and the Observer as a writer, editor and foreign correspondent.

He is captivated by the stories embedded in the landscape, the traces they leave and how they seep into our present.

He lives in Chalford, where he runs the Westley Farm holiday cottages and glamping site.