Quercus signs four books by Griffiths

Quercus has signed four books by bestselling author Elly Griffiths, including two mysteries in a new series. 

Publisher Jane Wood acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Rebecca Carter at Rebecca Carter Literary. The first book will be published in February 2024. Called The Last Word, it will be a cosy crime sequel to 2020’s The Postscript Murders.  The  deal also includes a further novel in Griffiths’ Brighton Mysteries series.

The brand new series will launch in February 2025 with The Frozen People featuring a new character, police officer Ali Dawson, who travels back in time to research unsolved crimes. 

Griffiths, perhaps most famous for her Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries, has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, and the Edgar Award in the US, has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and has been shortlisted five times for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. 

Wood said: “It has been a huge pleasure to publish Elly Griffiths at Quercus since we launched her first Dr Ruth Galloway Mystery, The Crossing Places, 15 years ago. Only a writer with her skill and imagination could conceive of a time-travelling detective and we can’t wait to introduce her legions of fans to Ali Dawson and her Cold Case unit, working on crimes so old, the joke goes, that they are almost frozen.”

Griffiths said: “Jane was the editor who first acquired the Ruth books and she’s always believed in me. We’ve been on quite a journey together.”