A former Cambridge professor has drawn on his scientific career and life in the South Hams to write a novel set in Salcombe.

Set against the scenic backdrop of the South Hams estuary town, Super Salcombe follows protagonist Adam Ranworth as he becomes entangled in the mysterious activities of Headland House-a local farming estate owned by the Sandon sisters.

The estate hosts three highly disruptive business units:

Super H: A world-altering green energy invention capable of transforming water into low-cost hydrogen.

Super Skin: A revolutionary cosmetic discovery by a French couple that reverses facial aging by decades.

Devon Data: A clandestine spying operation that threatens local peace and international security.

What begins as an idyllic rural venture quickly evolves into a gripping web of personal conflicts,

dramatic lifeboat rescues, and dangerous global interests, fracturing the calm of Salcombe's waters.

Malcolm Mackley brings an informed perspective to the novel's scientific and local elements, having been a Professor of Process Innovation at Cambridge and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Mackley retired to Salcombe in 2011, where he has been drawn into many aspects of Devon life on the land and the water.

Malcolm said: "Writing fiction has been a liberating opportunity to step away from the constraints of scientific work.

“Choosing Salcombe as the basis for the book was easy.

“The estuary is an amazing place, and all those who live or sail nearby will know it is an intensely beautiful and very special part of the world.

“Salcombe itself is a fascinating small town that is full of interesting people, most of whom have a strong ‘bond’ with estuary life.

“I do hope that I have been able to convey that sort of atmosphere in writing Super Salcombe.”

The novel is the culmination of fifty years’ experience at several different UK universities and a further fifteen years at Salcombe

Malcolm wrote Super Salcombe over a two-year period and completed it at the end of 2025.

During that period, AI has been emerging as a potent tool that will affect most aspects of life.