Michael Joseph scoops a cosy crime series with a gardening twist from Marnie Riches

Michael Joseph has scooped a new cosy crime series in a two-book deal from Marnie Riches. 

Hannah Smith, editorial director, acquired world English language rights from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein. The Gardener’s Club, the first book in the series, will be published in April 2025. 

The story follows the Bromley Botanists’ gardening club who have to turn their attention away from winning as the best community gardening club to solving a murder. "Will they be able to solve the crime in time to snatch victory away from their arch-rivals Croydon?"

Riches said: "To be a Penguin author has been my dream since childhood. I’m beyond delighted to be working with Hannah and the crack team at Michael Joseph. Their reputation for publishing the nation’s best-loved fiction fantastically well precedes them, and I know my Bromley Botanists will be in very safe hands."

Smith said: "I am beyond thrilled to be welcoming Marnie to the Penguin Michael Joseph family, from the moment I dived into The Gardener’s Club I was blown away by the cast of eccentric, loveable characters and Marnie’s whipsmart humour that made me fly through the pages. It felt that Marnie had truly found the perfect blend of crime, characters and USP of gardening which felt so fresh for the market."