TV deal for Lauren St John

Centurion Television has acquired the TV development rights to Dead Man’s Cove, the first book in the Laura Marlin Mystery series by Lauren St John (Orion Children’s Books).

Chairman Tom Reeve struck the deal from Rebecca Watson at Valerie Hoskins Associates, who was acting on behalf of Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates.

Filming for a pilot episode, starring Bronte Carmichael as Laura Marlin and Parus Mehra as Tariq, starts later this month in North Somerset and Cornwall. Benedict Taylor will play as Laura Marlin’s uncle, Calvin Redfern, while Sharon Morgan will take on the role of Matron.

The pilot does not yet have a broadcaster but is being distributed by Cake Entertainment.

St John said: “The idea for my Laura Marlin mysteries came to me when I was living in St Ives many years ago. I used to walk through the misty alleys, listening to the waves crashing and think, ‘What a perfect setting for a children’s thriller, particularly one with a spirited, independent girl detective.’ I can’t wait to see Laura, Tariq, Skye and Calvin Redfern brought to life on screen.”

The fifth book in the series, The Secret of Supernatural Creek, will be released by Orion Children’s, which is a division of Hachette Children's Books, in September next year.

The TV news comes a year after another production company, Canyon Creek Films, bought the development rights to St John’s YA novel The Glory.