HQ signs two books in mystery series from Martin

HQ has signed two books in a new mystery series by Faith Martin.  

Abigail Fenton, editorial director, acquired world all language rights from Kate Nash at the Kate Nash Literary Agency.  

The first book in the contract, Murder by Candlelight, is set in the 1920s in the Cotswolds village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh, where Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift, the author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting, finds himself in the unlikely position of hunting a killer when a night of ghost-watching ends with the discovery of a murder. With old friend Valentina, the local vicar’s daughter, he begins to dig into the death and soon uncovers a sorry tale of altered wills, secret love affairs and tragic losses. But when a second victim is killed, Arbie has to find the murderer fast – and to do so will mean cracking a most ingeniously plotted crime. It will publish in January 2024. 

Martin said: “I grew up reading the golden-age authors and have always admired a good locked-room mystery. After all the gloom and trials of lockdown, I wanted to write something amusing and light-hearted as well as puzzling. With Murder by Candlelight I hope I have achieved that, and that my readers fall in love with my two new protagonists.” 

Fenton added: “Faith already has a loyal readership from her Ryder and Loveday mysteries, but Murder by Candlelight promises to be her breakout book. It’s the perfect golden-age mystery for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman and Robert Thorogood, and Faith’s deep love for the genre shines from every page. It’s intricately plotted, immensely satisfying and hugely entertaining, and I can’t wait to share it with readers.” 

Nash also commented: “Very few people can plot a whodunit like Faith Martin and even fewer within a tapestry of such richly drawn characters it’s simply impossible to believe they don’t exist outside the pages. Murder by Candlelight will delight anyone who has ever read a mystery and even those who haven’t.”