True crime podcaster-detective debut goes to Pushkin

Pushkin Press has bought a debut about a detective and true crime podcaster by Melbourne-based author A Suiter Clarke, with the book also selling in various deals throughout the globe.

Pushkin Vertigo editor Harriet Wade acquired UK rights to Like Clockwork from Vanessa Kerr at Abner Stein on behalf of Lauren Abramo and Sharon Pelletier at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.  It has also sold to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the US, while German rights were pre-empted by Fischer, Spanish rights to Planeta, Hungarian rights to Libri, Brazilian rights to Suma, Croatian rights to Znanje, Slovakian rights to IKAR, with offers on the table elsewhere. Pushkin Vertigo will publish in 2021.

Like Clockwork promises to be a “police procedural with a fresh twist: the detective is a true crime podcaster,” according to Pushkin. “Obsessed with serial killer ‘The Countdown Killer’ for decades, podcaster Elle Castillo is hellbent on bringing him finally to justice. When the kidnappings start up again, each victim one year younger than the last, Elle must confront her responsibility in forcing the killer out of hiding. Blending adrenaline-inducing twists and emotional nuance, Like Clockwork is an unforgettable debut.”

A Suiter Clarke is a full-time marketing communications specialist who is originally from Minnesota but is now based in Melbourne.

She said: “I'm delighted that Like Clockwork has found such a good home with Pushkin Vertigo. London is where I started writing novels and completed my MFA in creative writing, so the UK is close to my heart. I very much look forward to seeing my book published there.”

Wade added: “This novel taps so skillfully into the global phenomenon that is true crime podcasts. An entertaining, timely and fast-paced thriller, this feels like the perfect fit for Vertigo.”