1950s-set Mirabelle Bevan mysteries to Little, Brown

Little, Brown has acquired rights to the Mirabelle Bevan series backlist by Edinburgh-based author Sara Sheridan.

Little, Brown bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) from Polygon and will be republishing the first four novels of the mystery series - set in 1950s Brighton and featuring "stylish sleuth" Mirabelle Bevan - in the spring, with the latest in the series, Operation Foodwood, due to be published in April.

Across the pond, the series has meanwile been bought by Michaela Hamilton at Kensington in North America, who is publishing the first book in the series, Brighton Belle, in March.

Krystyna Green, publishing director for Constable Crime, an imprint of Little, Brown, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have acquired Sara Sheridan – her backlist as well as frontlist and future Mirabelles.  The timing couldn’t be better too – Mirabelle Bevan is sure to be a natural for primetime TV.  And in Sara we have a dream author: proactive, media savvy and incredibly switched on who has created a charming series which is set to run and run."

Television rights have been optioned to the series by Sarah Brown at Scottish Television, in a deal negotiated by Rebecca Watson at Val Hoskins. Brown, dead of drama at STV productions, said: "Sara’s beautifully drawn characters and the vivid setting of 1950’s Brighton feel perfect for the screen, so we are delighted to be developing these wonderful books for television. Mirabelle and Vesta are a detective duo unlike any we’ve seen before, and we’re convinced that TV audiences will fall in love with them as so many readers already have done."

Sheridan also writes novels set in the 19th century featuring the real-life adventures of historical figures. World rights to her third historical novel were bought by Black & White Publishing from Jenny Brown at Jenny Brown Associates and will be published in July.

Sheridan commented: “I’m attracted to both these periods. It keeps my writing life interesting to work with such varied material. I’m excited to take the books to a larger market both in the UK and abroad. What inspires me most are those female characters –the women who climbed mountains wearing bodices and who worked undercover in WWII.”