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Niyla Farook’s "High-Rise Mystery meets ’The Parent Trap’" has been snapped up by Piccadilly Press.
Editorial director Ruth Bennett acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency to A Tariq Twins Mystery: Murder for Two, and a sequel. The first of the middle-grade series will be published in January 2025.
The launch title follows twins Ani and Riri who were separated when they were six months old. Loud and adventurous Ani wants to be a sleuth when she grows up; shy Riri prefers books to people, and would prefer a safe, germ-free job. When they’re forced to spend the summer together, Ani is convinced it’s going to be another "great twin war" like the last time..."but this summer is different—there’s a murder, and their dad is arrested as the prime suspect. Can they work together to protect their family and solve the mystery?"
Farook is from west Yorkshire and her début Rida and Madiya, with illustrations by Umair Najeeb Khan, was published last year by Bloomsbury Readers. She said her Murder for Two is "the book I wanted to read long after lights out when I was younger—a murder mystery set in west Yorkshire with a Desi family and plenty of humour. It came about quickly once I allowed myself to write without any rules...I can’t wait for readers of all backgrounds and ages to join Ani and Riri in solving the murder."
Bennett added: “Niyla has such a fresh and contemporary voice—in Ani and Riri she has created two unforgettable characters, who I have absolutely loved spending time with. Through them, the classic murder mystery story is brought right into the present day, and I know that young readers will love to see these two bright and funny girls taking charge of the investigation. Just like the queen of the murder mystery genre, Agatha Christie, Niyla’s story presents us with a fiendishly plotted puzzle that is a real pleasure to read. I challenge you to figure out whodunnit.”