Century on board to publish Hindle's 'Golden Age' whodunit debut

Century is publishing A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle, a debut billed as a "smart, twisting, Golden Age-style crime novel" set aboard a cruise liner.

Slated for in February 2022, Arrow publishing director Emily Griffin acquired world rights, including audio, in the book from Harry Illingworth at DHH Literary Agency.

The book is set on board the Endeavour, a cruise liner carrying passengers from Southampton to New York in the winter of 1924. When the body of a passenger is found on board the ship, Timothy Birch, an officer scarred by war and tragedy, and Scotland Yard inspector James Temple work to solve the case, with 2,000 people on board and just days before they reach their destination. 

Griffin said: "From the moment I started reading A Fatal Crossing, I felt transported to the immersive world of the Endeavour. Packed with brilliant characters, fiendish suspects, a twisting mystery and a flawless finish, this book is the perfect literary escape. The continued love for giants of the crime genre, such as Agatha Christie and the phenomenal success of recent releases such as Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, and films such as 'Knives Out', shows that appetite for smart, character-led crime fiction has never been higher. We have big ambitions for Tom’s debut and we can’t wait to bring it to scores of readers next spring."

Hindle commented: "To think that we’ll soon be welcoming readers aboard the Endeavour is ridiculously exciting. This mystery and these characters have been living for such a long time in my head, and working with the team at Penguin Random House to bring them to life is an absolute joy. There aren’t many things that I love quite as much as losing myself to the twists and turns of a seemingly impossible whodunit. Now, in that same spirit, I can’t wait to draw readers into the glittering, devious world of the Endeavour."