Storm has signed The Sketch Artist by number one bestselling author Amanda McKinney. Deputy Managing Director Claire Bord agreed World All Language rights with Jill Marsal at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Courtroom sketch artist Harper Leighton recognises her late mother’s handwriting immediately. Sifting through the hidden sketches and journals, she discovers her mother had been pursuing a secret investigation for decades – one pointing to a chilling possibility: the man executed for the 1979 Arkansas Girl Scout murders was innocent. Inside the folder are dozens of carefully drawn faces. One belongs to the real killer. And Harper has just made herself his next target.

Bord commented:

“The Sketch Artist has a killer hook and a fresh premise. I always admire how Amanda writes women under pressure – forced into survival mode against all odds. There’s something SO relatable about her characters even if I can’t begin to imagine being thrown into their extraordinary circumstances! This novel delivers everything Amanda’s readers love: you’re hooked from page one, the twists are shocking but earned, and the emotional payoff lands hard. We’re absolutely thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Amanda and expand her reach with a conventional print edition in North America.”

McKinney said:

“I can’t wait for readers to meet The Sketch Artist. Seeing this story find a home where it can reach an even wider audience—particularly in print—is incredibly exciting. I’m beyond grateful to Claire and the Storm team for championing this story and for their continued support and enthusiasm.”

Amanda McKinney is the multi-award-winning author of more than thirty romantic suspense and thriller novels. Her books have received over fifteen literary awards and nominations, including the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence, and have been included in lists such as POPSUGAR’s 12 Best Romance Books, and featured on the Today Show. Her first thriller with Storm – A Marriage of Lies – has been a phenomenal hit in audio, establishing her as a must-listen thriller author and will be launched digitally in Italian as part of Storm’s joint venture with Giunti Editore.

The Sketch Artist will be published in September 2026 in trade paperback and available in bookshops across the United States and Canada as part of Storm’s partnership with Two Rivers. The book will also be published in paperback, ebook, and audio.

To find out more about Amanda, visit her website or connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.