W F Howes lands McCleave trio

W F Howes has secured audio rights for the first three titles in the DC Ruth Hunter Murder Case series by crime writer Simon McCleave.

Launching in late July, the three audiobooks – Diary of a War Crime, The Razor Gang Murder, and The Imitation of Darkness, all published in print by Stamford Publishing– take readers back in time to the 1990s and follow the early stages of London detective Ruth Hunter’s blossoming career with the Metropolitan Police. Laura Smith, senior acquisitions editor, obtained worldwide English language rights from Millie Hoskins at United Agents.

Smith commented: “During 2020, Simon has established himself as one of the most prolific and exciting emerging crime authors in the country, specialising in dark police procedurals, psychologically complex characters and shocking plot twists. With so many of his titles reaching the dizzying heights of the Amazon UK Kindle charts, we are extremely excited about the prospects of this hugely nostalgic, gritty, fast-paced prequel series.”

All three audiobooks will be narrated by actress Rachel Atkins, who played the voice of Vicky Tucker in "The Archers" for the BBC.

Originally a scriptwriter for TV and film, McCleave published his first book, The Snowdonia Killings (Stamford Publishing), in January 2020. He said: "As a big fan of audiobooks I have always felt that the format lends itself perfectly to the suspense and dramatic nature of my Ruth Hunter novels. I wanted to partner with an independent and experienced audio publisher who I could not only trust to bring my novels to life and deliver stunning products, but who could also offer me a great deal of freedom and flexibility for my titles. I am delighted to be working with W F Howes to offer existing Ruth Hunter fans a new way to experience my novels, while introducing my books to brand new audiences, too.”