GR Halliday’s DI Monica Kennedy books move to Oneworld as TV series starts filming
Oneworld is set to publish GR Halliday’s Scottish Highlands crime series featuring DI Monica Kennedy, as filming begins on a new ITV adaptation.
Publishing director Wayne Brookes has acquired five books in the series from Camilla Bolton at Darley Anderson Agency & Associates.
UK and Commonwealth rights, including audio, were acquired for the first three books in the series, originally published by Penguin Random House, and two brand-new novels.
From the Shadows and Dark Waters will be published to coincide with the transmission of the ITV series, called The Dark. Under the Marsh and The Passenger, the third and fourth books in the series, will be published in 2027. A fifth novel, as yet untitled, will be published in 2028.
The synopsis for the first book in the series, From the Shadows, reads: “The discovery of a body on the coast of the Scottish Highlands plunges Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy into a murder investigation that won’t begin and end with one death. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Nichol has been missing for seven days.
“His last message was to social worker Michael, who can’t quite shake the suspicion that something is terribly wrong. As Monica is faced with catching a murderer who has been meticulously watching and waiting, Michael keeps searching for Nichol, desperate to find him before the killer claims another victim.”
Continues...
Read More
Brookes said: “The moment I read From the Shadows I knew this was the crime series I’d been waiting to publish at Oneworld. Gareth is an exceptional writer giving his reader everything they need from a crime novel. There is a flawed and captivating heroine, a dangerous and mystical setting and the tightest plotting and prose that will entrance anyone who loves this genre.
“The icing on the cake is knowing that Monica Kennedy will soon be gracing the small screen. ITV’s The Dark will be based on From the Shadows and will star Laura Donnelly (The Nevers, Sugar) as Monica Kennedy, alongside Mark Rowley (Trigger Point, Karen Pirie) as Detective Connor Crawford.”
Halliday said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Oneworld and to be once again sharing the dark world of DI Monica Kennedy’s Scottish Highlands with readers. Huge thanks to Wayne Brookes and the team at Oneworld, and to Camilla Bolton and everyone at Darley Anderson Agency.”
Bolton added: “We are beyond delighted and excited for GR Halliday and our beloved Monica Kennedy to join Wayne and Oneworld. What a team! Wayne and Oneworld’s passion and ambition is incredible, and I cannot wait to see their power in helping make DI Monica Kennedy a household name.”
From the Shadows will be published in paperback by Oneworld imprint Point Blank on 23rd July 2026 at £9.99. Dark Waters will follow on 24th September 2026.
