Mina moves to Harvill Secker from Orion

Denise Mina has moved to Penguin Random House imprint Harvill Secker for her next literary thriller based on a real-life serial killer Peter Manuel and set in 1950s Glasgow.

The crime writer, who has been previously published by Hachette’s Orion imprint, will write standalone novel The Long Drop for Harvill Secker, set to be published in March 2017, and another, the first in a new crime series, slated for a 2018 release.

Alison Hennessey, senior editor at Harvill Secker, acquired UK & Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada to the books, from Peter Robinson at Rogers, Coleridge & White.

The Long Drop is described as an “atmospheric literary thriller” about Peter Manuel, a real-life serial killer in 1950s Glasgow, and a deeply unsettling night he spent with the husband and father of two of his victims before his arrest.

“Not only a brilliant character study of two men and a gripping retelling of a famous trial that saw women queueing overnight to attend, Denise Mina captures a point in time as Glasgow changes for ever,” Harvil Secker said.

Mina said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Harvill Secker, home to some of the finest contemporary crime writing. I look forward to a long, jolly and successful association.”

Hennessey added that Mina had produced her “best work yet” in The Long Drop. “I couldn’t be more excited to be bringing Denise to the Harvill Secker list,” she said. “I have been a huge admirer of hers for years and with The Long Drop she has produced her best work yet – a compelling and unnerving literary thriller, laced with brilliant vignettes and wonderfully black humour that is destined to be one of the must-reads of 2017; I can’t wait to share it with readers.”

Liz Foley, publishing director at Harvill Secker, said that the company had "long admired" Denise's work so thd acquisition was "really is a dream come true for us at Harvill Secker and Vintage".

"The Long Drop is a completely brilliant, captivating book that I still can't stop thinking about and everyone here is extremely excited about preparing for our publication,” she added.

Mina’s first novel, Garnethill (Orion), was published in 1988 and won the CWA John Creasy Dagger for Best First Crime Novel. She has since published 12 novels including the Garnethill series, the Paddy Meehan series and latterly the Alex Morrow series and been nominated for many prizes including the CWA Gold Dagger, winning the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award twice. In addition to novels, Denise has also written plays and graphic novels including the graphic novel adaptation of The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo.