Ebury to publish account of case that inspired Netflix hit 'The Staircase'

Ebury is publishing an inside look at the case of Michael Peterson, which became the subject of the hit true-crime documentary "The Staircase", shown on Netflix and heralded "the new 'Making a Murderer'".

Michael Peterson is a crime novelist who was accused of killing his wife Kathleen after she was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their home in Durham, North Carolina.

Authored by American crime writer Diane Fanning, Written in Blood explores the 2001 case that sparked a 16-year court battle. The book originally published in the US with St Martin's Press in 2005 and was an Edgar Award finalist in 2006. According to Ebury, while the book "takes readers on a whole other journey away from the Netflix series", a short author note has been added to this edition about Peterson's current situation.

UK and commonwealth rights were acquired from Rachel Clements at Abner Stein on behalf of Lauren Abramo at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

Ebury editorial director Sara Cywinski said: "I inhaled the documentary series, but I had so many questions by the end and the show simply didn’t and couldn’t answer them. I’m thrilled to be publishing Diane’s book, which was an Edgar Award Finalist when it published in the US. It’s a totally different perceptive and she has certainly made me question everything I’ve seen and read before."

Ebury publish the book on the 23rd August as an £8.99 paperback.