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Bookouture publishing director Ruth Tross has acquired three books from Lisa Cutts and two from Marnie Riches.
Cutts (right), a detective and author of four police procedural novels, will pen a new cosy crime series set in the fictional village of Little Challham in Kent, starring Belinda Penshurst, castle-dweller, dog lover and local fixture. World rights in three books were acquired direct from the author, with the first in the series to be published in August 2021.
She said: "I'm so thrilled to work with the amazing team at Bookouture, a publisher I've long admired. My editor Ruth Tross is just wonderful and it really has been a privilege to work with her."
World English rights in two new crime novels by Riches (below, left), and US rights in five backlist titles, were acquired from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein. Set in Manchester, Riches' new series will introduce detective Jackie Cooke, whose latest case bears disturbing similarities to the disappearance of her younger brother years before, it will be published in June 2022. The backlist books will be published this summer.
Riches, author of Born Bad and The Cover Up, both published by Avon, commented: "I'm delighted to be joining the likes of Angela Marsons and Patricia Gibney on the Bookouture list. I've long-admired Bookouture’s savvy marketing and its stable of best-selling commercial authors. I think the superbly capable Ruth Tross and I are going to make a winning team, and I can't wait for readers to meet Jackson Cooke. She's my coolest heroine yet!"
Tross said: "I’m so excited to be working with both Marnie and Lisa. From the minute I first started talking to Lisa about the Belinda Penshurst series I knew she was on to a winner. The book combines a twisty mystery with plenty of humour and I can’t wait for people to read it. And Marnie is much loved for a reason – her books are the perfect blend of strong characters, dark crimes and page-turning revelations. I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her to Bookouture."