Askew signs two-book deal with Hodder

Hodder & Stoughton has announced a new two-novel deal with crime writer Claire Askew.

The publisher’s crime and thriller publisher Ruth Tross acquired world English language rights in two new novels from Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown.

Askew’s debut All The Hidden Truths was published by Hodder in August 2018. Her second featuring DI Helen Birch, What You Pay For, will be published this August, with two new, untitled books in the series following in summer 2020 and 2021.

Summerhayes said: “Everyone at Hodder – and many readers and reviewers beyond – recognise Claire Askew as a spectacular new talent in crime. Her series examines major issues that preoccupy us all: the impact of violence on society, victims and perpetrators; revenge and vigilantism; social media; and the ties and terrors of family life – combined with page- turning plots, compelling characters and sharp, vivid prose. I’m so glad that Claire’s career with Hodder will continue, and I look forward to many more DI Birch books to come.”

Askew is a poet, novelist and Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Stirling. Her debut won the 2016 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize as a work in progress and was selected as a Times Crime Book of the Month. She has also won the Jessie Kesson Fellowship and a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award.

She said: “I absolutely loved working with the amazing team at Hodder to bring the first two DI Birch books into the world, and I'm thrilled to be able to keep going with that work. I'm excited to share what Birch does next.”