Allison & Busby snares two-book deal from Bailey

Allison & Busby has snared Sharp Scratch, the first in a "chilling" crime series, in a two-book deal from Martine Bailey. 

World English rights were acquired by publishing manager Lesley Crooks from Charlotte Seymour at Johnson & Alcock. Sharp Scratch will be published in spring 2024 with the second novel following in spring 2025. 

Previously having written historical crime fiction, Bailey’s new novels take on a modern setting. Sharp Scratch draws on the author’s experience conducting psychometric testing when she worked for the NHS which included assessing staff for Ashworth high-security psychiatric hospital. 

The synopsis for the novel reads: "Salford, 1983. Lorraine Quick is a single mum, a member of a band going nowhere fast and personnel officer at Salford’s Memorial Hospital. A new general manager position is being introduced, someone to steer the institution towards Margaret Thatcher’s lofty vision for the NHS. Lorraine will be pivotal in selecting the successful candidate, thanks to her recent training in psychometric testing.

"However, the deliberate substitution of a flu vaccine for a lethal dose of anaesthetic reveals a killer is at work. Lorraine’s suspicions turn towards the top brass vying for the new role — could the personality tests lead her to the killer?" 

Crooks said: "From the very first atmospheric pages of Sharp Scratch I was hooked, and I knew it would be a great fit for Allison & Busby’s crime list. Sharp Scratch takes readers behind the scenes of a sprawling northern hospital, to the places the public does not see and would not want to, where clashes between politics and personalities can be fatal."

Bailey added: "My fascination with psychometric testing has been bubbling away for years; a subject that attracted me as a young graduate, with its promise to unmask the ‘real you’.  In fact, it was my psychometric training that suggested my own personality was well suited to be a writer. It’s so exciting that Lesley and the team at Allison & Busby instantly grasped my vision of the NHS in the 1980s, the Manchester music scene and the dark world of a malevolent imposter. I’m thrilled that readers will have a chance to read the 60 fictional test questions that head each chapter and follow those traits in the story. Huge thanks to my agent Charlotte Seymour for helping to craft such a personal story and ensuring the book reaches new crime fiction readers."